2021-05-19 14:31:12 GMT2021-05-19 22:31:12(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
NAIROBI, May 19 (Xinhua) The fight against COVID-19 in Africa is facing new headwinds amid hoarding of vaccine stockpiles by wealthy nations that has created a supply crunch in the continent, campaigners said Wednesday.
Alice Kayongo, regional policy and advocacy manager at AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), decried vaccine nationalism saying it has undermined efforts to contain the pandemic in the continent. The hoarding of COVID-19 vaccine by the developed world has posed significant threats in Africa where new variants have been reported and could worsen community-based infections, Kayongo said at a virtual forum on vaccine nationalism organized by AHF.
IASâLancet Commission on Health and Human Rights
IAS–Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights
“This newly formed Commission seeks to interrogate the key questions facing both global health and human rights in a world of complex transnational threats and challenges, from climate change to COVID-19, equity in access to healthcare and the ways to address the many communities excluded from current health and development debates. We feel the time is now to develop a more inclusive vision that can embolden efforts to realize the right to health for all.”
~ Adeeba Kamarulzaman & Chris Beyrer – Commission Co-Chairs
Charged with being bold, fresh, innovative and challenging to advance thinking on health and human rights, the Commission will explore the following key questions:
Invisible enemy exposed the good and ugly of our healthcare
HEALTH & SCIENCE
Kenya has witnessed more Covid-19 related deaths among the poor. [Courtesy]
The Covid-19 pandemic has not only continued to exacerbate the inequities and inequalities from a health, gender and social perspective that Kenyans have faced, but has also exposed the feebleness of our health system and our inability to adequately ensure provision of socio-economic rights as guaranteed under the law.
Kenya has witnessed more Covid-19 related deaths among the poor, those with limited access to health services, social protection, food, water, adequate housing and reasonable standards of sanitation.
Hindsight is 2020
A few months ago, I talked about a global health marathon. Now, with several additional mile markers behind us, the 2020 race is nearly in our rear view mirror. Before we cross the finish line, finally getting this year behind us, I want to highlight what we’ve done in the last quarter to further global health progress.
At a high level side event, held on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September, advocates focused on spurring global investment for the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator (ACT-A) and, in particular, ACT-A’s vaccine pillar (COVAX). At the same time, GHC sought to mobilize support for ACT-A and COVAX here in the U.S. Our team led a