According to the United Nations (UN), COVID-19 is hitting poor and conflict nations worse this year.
The Covid-19 pandemic is hitting conflict-ridden and impoverished countries much worse this year than in 2020, with many facing higher caseloads and rising deaths, the UN’s deputy humanitarian chief has warned.
Ramesh Rajasingham said in a closed briefing to the UN Security Council that these surges are being fueled by a lack of access to vaccines, an easing of public health measures, increased social mixing, and the spread of the delta variant to at least 124 countries, including 17 fragile and conflict-affected nations.
In his briefing, Rajasingham said that so far in 2021 almost three-quarters of countries needing humanitarian aid have recorded more cases or deaths than in all of 2020. And in over one-third of those countries, he added, “at least three times more cases or deaths have been recorded this year compared to last.”
Rajasingham urged the international community to respond by ensuring that the poorest countries have access to protective equipment, oxygen, testing kits and other critical supplies. To tackle the pandemic and the worsening impact on the poorest people, he said, the global humanitarian system is appealing for $36 billion to help 161 million people.
Rajasingham said fragile and conflict-affected countries also must have access to vaccines. To date, he said, 80 million vaccine doses have been delivered to countries where the UN has appealed for humanitarian assistance.
UN says Covid-19 hitting poor and conflict-torn nations worse this year. Here are other updates:
— TRT World (@trtworld) July 27, 2021
?? Cases ease in Australia's Victoria
?? Brazil reports 18,999 new cases
? World Bank to finance extra jabs for poorer nations
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Germany's cases rise by 1,545 - RKI
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has increased by 1,545 to 3,758,401, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed. The reported death toll rose by 38 to 91,565, the tally showed.
China reports 71 new cases
China has reported 71 new Covid-19 cases, compared with 76 cases a day earlier, the national health authority said.
Local infections accounted for 31 of the new cases, down from 40 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said in a statement. All of the local cases were reported in the eastern province of Jiangsu, it said.
The number of new asymptomatic cases - which China does not classify as confirmed cases - declined to 20 from 24 a day earlier.
Total confirmed Covid-19 cases in mainland China stand at 92,676, and the death toll remains at 4,636.
Australia's Victoria to ease lockdown restrictions
Australia's Victoria state will begin easing its Covid-19 lockdown restrictions as planned from Tuesday night, Premier Daniel Andrews said, after the state reported fewer new cases.
People can leave their homes for any reason but several restrictions would remain, including a ban on guests in homes and masks mandatory both indoors and outdoors, Andrews said.
Victoria detected 10 new local cases, down from 11 a day earlier, with all infections linked to the latest outbreak and in quarantine throughout their infectious period.
Meanwhile, a busy shopping mall in Sydney's southwest has been added to virus exposure sites and anyone who visited at any time over a 10-day period has been classified as a close contact who should test and self isolate for two weeks.
Sydney, Australia's largest city and state capital of New South Wales, is into its fifth week of a lockdown to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant.
The lockdown is due to end on Friday but strict stay-home rules could be extended further as daily new cases have stubbornly remained above a hundred, with many still active in the community while infectious.
South Australia, which also registered infections from the Sydney outbreak, is on track to exit its week-long lockdown on Wednesday.
Brazil reports 18,999 new coronavirus cases, 578 deaths
Brazil has recorded 18,999 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 578 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Monday.
Brazil has registered more than 19.7 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 550,502, according to ministry data.
Mexico posts 5,920 more cases, 171 additional deaths
Mexico's health ministry has recorded 5,920 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 171 fatalities, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,754,438 and the reported death toll to 238,595.
World Bank to finance extra jabs for poorer nations
A new World Bank financing mechanism will allow developing countries to purchase Covid-19 vaccines collectively through the Covax facility.
Covax was set up to ensure 92 developing territories could access coronavirus vaccines to fight the pandemic, with the cost covered by donors.
EU countries have only donated a tiny portion of surplus Covid-19 vaccines to poor nations, despite making a commitment to share about 160M doses https://t.co/W22yaQdj8g
— TRT World (@trtworld) July 22, 2021
The new mechanism will allow those countries to buy additional doses on top of the subsidised ones they will already receive via Covax.
Using money from the World Bank and other development banks, the facility says it will make advanced purchases from vaccine manufacturers based on aggregated demand across countries.
The financing mechanism builds on the existing Covax cost-sharing arrangement which aims to provide 430 million additional doses, or enough doses to fully vaccinate 250 million people, for delivery between late 2021 and mid-2022 for the 92 countries.
Those doses could be purchased through new financing arrangement.
Countries should also have some flexibility in selecting to buy particular vaccines that align with their preferences.
Covax is co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
This article has been adapted from its original source
