WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus unveiled a bold new WHO Healthy Recovery Manifesto – including an unprecedented call to governments to stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry to the tune of US$ 400 bilion annually – driving both climate change, air pollution, and an epidemic of chronic diseases that also sharply increased mortality risks […] Continue reading ->
More than 40 million health professionals from 90 countries worldwide have issued an open letter to G20 leaders and their chief medical advisors, urging them to support climate smart  development in their plans for economic recovery from COVID-19.  The appeal to the Group of 20  of the world’s most industrialized countries, supported by some 350 […] Continue reading ->
This story was updated 4 June to reflect the Lancet study’s retraction. Enrollment of new patients in the hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) arm of the World Health Organization’s Global COVID-19 Solidarity Trial will be put on pause, as the trial’s oversight committee reviews all available data on COVID-19 and hydroxychloroquine, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said […] Continue reading ->
Even as Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa are facing unprecedented flooding and locust swarms, a cyclone that has hit Southeast Asia, is presenting new challenges there in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Torrential rain, fierce winds of up to 180 km per hour, and a 16-foot tall storm surge cut off road […] Continue reading ->
This story was updated 4 June to reflect the paper’s retraction. New research published in The Lancet on Friday found that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine has ‘no benefit’ for coronavirus patients, and could even increase the risk of heart arrhythmias and mortality.  The study was retracted by three of its authors on June 4, due to […] Continue reading ->
Over the past 24 hours, the world has seen the largest-ever increase in new COVID-19 infections, with most of the 106,000 cases cases occurring in just four countries, warned WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday.  “In the last 24 hours, there have been 106,000 cases reported to WHO – the most in […] Continue reading ->
With overwhelming support, the World Health Assembly (WHA) on Tuesday approved a resolution to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which represents the strongest commitment yet from the global community to international cooperation in fighting the pandemic as well as ensuring access to COVID-19 treatments and future vaccines. The final text also called for an independent evaluation […] Continue reading ->
Unlike China’s President Xi Jinping, United States President Donald Trump didn’t appear on camera yesterday at the opening of the first-ever virtual World Health Assembly. Instead he used Twitter to get his message across about China’s alledged coverup of early news about the novel coronavirus and WHO’s failure to act assertively vis a vis Beijing. […] Continue reading ->