00:60
02/11/2020
Anger and exasperation, the latest coronavirus lockdowns spark protests around the world, especially in Europe.
Dr Michael Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief, at a briefing in Geneva yesterday, said "We understand people's frustrations. but governments in Europe in particular at this time are facing a very, very difficult situation"
Anti-lockdown protest sees around thousands of demonstrators as European nations wound back the clocks to the spring with fresh lockdowns and restrictions aimed at halting galloping infections and deaths.
Officials have said European economies, already devastated by lockdowns in March, April and May, will take a further hit from the second series of closures, even though the new measures are mostly not as strict and many governments and companies and are better equipped to deal with them.
The virus has killed at least 1,196,109 people worldwide since the outbreak emerged last December, infecting more than 46 million. 00:60
20/10/2020
The links between tuberculosis (TB), lung health and the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), the world's first global health NGO celebrated its one-hundredth birthday, yesterday on the 20 October.The President of The Union, Prof Guy Marks, recognised that a global health crisis – tuberculosis – could not be defeated without international collaboration and knowledge sharing, came together and founded The Union. Reflecting on the journey so far and the distance left to travel, Prof Guy Marks also made the links between tuberculosis (TB), lung health and the COVID-19 pandemic.Delegates from 135 countries, including nearly 1000 TB survivors, are attending the conference, originally set to take place in Seville, Spain.World Health Organization Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is among them. He stressed that the world cannot allow the pandemic to become an excuse for failing to deliver on the commitments made to end TB, tobacco and air pollution: “The pandemic will end, but TB, tobacco, air pollution and other lung diseases will continue to steal the breath and life of millions of people every year.”Results from a survey across 19 countries of people's attitudes towards a potential COVID-19 vaccine, to be published in Nature Medicine, will be presented by lead author Jeffrey Lazarus of ISGlobal, and he will talk about concerns around regionally low levels of vaccine acceptance. 00:56
04/08/2020
WHO reports shows that more than 95 per cent of these deaths occurred among people over the age of 60. About 50 per cent of all deaths included people 80 years of age or older. Statistics indicate that 8 out of 10 deaths occur in people with at least one comorbidity, particularly those with cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes, but also with several other underlying chronic conditions.According to the WHO, COVID-19 is changing the everyday lives of older people, the treatment and help they seek, their desire to stay socially involved and how they are viewed. Indeed, older people are affected by the need to spend more time at home, loss of social interaction with other family members, friends and colleagues, sudden cessation of work and other activities, and distress and fear of sickness and death – their own and others. Notwithstanding the vulnerability of older people, they should not be presented as though they are and have not contributed positively in the fight towards this pandemic. Dr. Naeema Al-Gasseer emphasises some of the contributions of older people during difficult times.
