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COVID-19:
China Policy and Issue Updates
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Mar. 23, 2020
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Summary
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• Aggressive and targeted’ tactics needed to curb spread of Covid-19 as more than 100,000 new infections recorded in just four days |
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• The apparent lack of preparation on the part of the Indian authorities, to both test individuals and inform the public.
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• Global political commitment and coordination needed to halt trajectory. The warning, by the UN agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, came as the number of deaths from the disease, caused by the new coronavirus. |
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• The World Health Organisation has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating, calling for “aggressive and targeted tactics” to curb its spread after more than 100,000 new infections were recorded in just four days.
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In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the Weekly Bulletin now includes a COVID-19
Update section where you can find all of the most recent COVID-19 news, resources, and links from this week. Scroll below to read more.
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WHO chief calls for aggressive tactics as coronavirus cases soaracross the world
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“[It was] just four days for the third 100,000 cases. You can see how the virus is accelerating,” he said on Tuesday.“But we’re not prisoners to statistics. We’re not helpless bystanders. We can change the trajectory of this pandemic.”China’s National Health Commission reported 74 imported coronavirus infections on Monday – the highest since March 4, when it began including data on such cases and noted two infections that had originated abroad.
COVID-19: A moment for unity
• Researchers are looking to repurpose existing pharmaceuticals to target a disease that has already killed thousands around the world
• Some have potential in helping those at greatest risk, virologist says
• So far no available antiviral drug has been able to target Covid-19.
The race is on in the drug battle against the coronavirus
Times of social, political, and economic stress present opportunities for corrupt actors to act
corruptly—and the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus will be no exception. As the vast majority of Americans pull together to protect the country’s most vulnerable and ensure that medical and financial resources go where they can do the most good, it is hard to imagine that a few fellow citizens would take advantage of their public roles to facilitate their private gain. But alas, prior pandemics demonstrate that this will be the case.
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The U.S. medical establishment is the frontline of this fight, and an overwhelming majority of medical personnel are dedicated, ethical individuals doing the best they can in trying circumstances. But corruption in U.S. health care is a reality. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that $98 billion were lost to fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid in 2011 alone.
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Second, citizens should demand that state and local hearings, town hall meetings, school board meetings, and so on be held virtually. Citizens should attend virtually, ask tough questions, and demand information on how coronavirus responses are being rolled out.
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Can India Keep up With COVID-19?
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“[It was] just four days for the third 100,000 cases. You can see how the virus is accelerating,” he said on Tuesday.“But we’re not prisoners to statistics. We’re not helpless bystanders. We can change the trajectory of this pandemic.”China’s National Health Commission reported 74 imported coronavirus infections on Monday – the highest since March 4, when it began including data on such cases and noted two infections that had originated abroad.
COVID-19: A moment for unity
Times of social, political, and economic stress present opportunities for corrupt actors to act corruptly—and the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus will be no exception.
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The business resumption rate, which now tops China’s policy agenda, is likely to rise from around 30 percent to 50 percent by early March. Of course, this number varies by sector and region. For example, Zhejiang, one of the most economically developed provinces, is seeing a resumption rate of 90 percent.
According to the Associated Press, Indian labs test 90 samples a day although they have capacity for 8,000. Even at such a slow pace, this would have provided over 180,000 samples, had the initial 52 labs reportedly provided by Health Ministry been running at their full potential in the last month.
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Angel L. Martínez Cantera is a Spanish freelance photojournalist based in Asia since 2013. He has an MA in international politics from City University of London (UK) and specializes in human rights and development.
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| Contact Angel L. Martínez Cantera, VP, Government & External Affairs |
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