State of the Pandemic, Lancet, World Health Organization, New England Journal of Medicine, Food Insecurity, Africa, Iran, Italy, South Korea, United Kingdom
development

Organisations. Lancet, World Health Organization WHO, New England Journal of Medicine NEMJ
Period. 4 – 10 May 2020

An article in The Lancet (Has COVID-19 subverted global health?) emphasize the importance of context and equity as key principles of global health. In light of limited financial aid from wealthier countries, the authors urge developing countries to adopt policies that reflect their local context that focus on what is possible, acceptable, just, and sustainable.

What accounts was South Korea’s COVID Secret? Fast Testing, High-Tech Tracing, Zero-Tolerance Isolation (Atlantic)

Lockdown Is a Blunt Tool, We Have a Sharper One: Contact Tracing (NYT)

WHO issues a Technical Guidance on Contact Tracing for COVID-19 in Africa (WHO)

The U.S. can expect a series of ‘mini-epidemics’, as the flattening curve is misleading, as the CIDRP outlines three potential futures: recurring small outbreaks, monster wave, persistent crisis (NYT)

Where the latest models think we are headed and why they disagree (FiveThirtyEight)

Reopening some states can heighten risk of or recurring second waves in others (STAT)

Simulation: Ending restrictions earlier is associated with higher projected cases and deaths, but also quicker economic recovery according to a RAND Corporation online tool

In the New England Journal of Medicine, the authors provide two lessons in the Italian response to the pandemic, highlighting the important of testing of health care workers, and how “urgent and decisive” lockdown of the region earlier could have contain the epidemic (Adaptations and Lessons in the Province of Bergamio)

National Geographic reviews the lessons learned from national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the spread of social mitigation, the effectiveness of travel restrictions, testing and the impact of speed of response on outbreak trajectory (How to measure your nation’s response to coronavirus).

It took the U.S. only seven days to exceed projected COVID-19 deaths for August (Newsweek)

A new paper in the Journal of Risk Research (Resilience in the face of uncertainty) describe how political interference undermined the ability of the U.K. National Health Service with COVID-19 preparedness and response. Similar to the Bank of England, the authors argue that national emergency preparedness requires greater independence.

While the full impact of the pandemic on food security remains unknown, Dr. Rhonda Ferguson (DIGHR Research Fellow) argues that the displacement of localized food systems require transformation in trade to protect the estimated 265 million people threatened by famine (Coronavirus: Another chance to transform the global food trade)

COVID-19 and Globalization (One Health)

Could COVID-19 mark a ‘turning point’ in the climate crisis? (WEF)

Effective transmission across the globe: the role of climate in COVID-19 mitigation strategies (Lancet Planetary Health)

Iran’s locust threats grow amid coronavirus pandemic, sanctions (New Humanitarian)

As the number of cases in Iran top 100,000, the spokesperson for the Health Ministry expressed concern in the “rising trend” over the least three days (Daily Star Lebanon)

Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) Declaration for COVID-19 extended (WHO)

Why we can’t compare country responses to COVID-19: death rates, data and geography (WEF)

This development is part of the digest;