Credit: Keystone/Alexandra Wey

The World Bank announces $12bn in finance for the WHO co-sponsored Covid-19 vaccine pool as Canada and other rich country donors toss in over $500bn in funds to ramp up the production and procurement of tests, treatments and future vaccines to ensure access by low-income countries.

European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) kicks off. The three-day virtual annual event got underway with a call to overhaul health systems and to prioritise well-being.

WHO to roll out 120 million Covid-19 rapid tests in lower income countries The cheap, and easy-to-use rapid tests could dramatically improve the ability of low and middle-income countries to test, track and trace suspected Covid-19 cases.

Unwrapping the challenges in the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. The issues include vaccine safety and transparency; how effective the vaccine may really prove to be; and how the US presidential race could confound scientific decisions.

Credit: EPA / STR

A health worker collects a swab sample for a Covid-19 rapid test at a school in Morigaon district of Assam in India, on 30 September. India now has the second-highest total of confirmed cases in the world. But new rapid diagnostics offer hope - and a way to better track and prevent virus spread, particularly in low and middle income countries which lack adequate access to the more expensive laboratory tests.

6-10 October | Online: Civil Society 20. Hosted by Saudi Arabia, C20 gathers thousands of civil society leaders & changemakers around the world to bring forth a non-government and non-business voice in the G20 process.

6 October | Online: HIV 2020 – Treatment Activist Meeting. A broad coalition of global civil society and community-led organisations are organising skills workshops for HIV treatment activists to help in shaping the next steps for the movement.

8 October | World Sight Day 2020. With at least 1 billion people who have preventable vision impairment, this year's theme Hope in Sight, aims to raise awareness of the solutions available.