Good morning, this is Elaine bringing you Geneva Solutions’ global health news, produced in collaboration with Health Policy Watch.

Today, we’re looking at how the United Kingdom has approved Pfizer’s vaccine, making it the first country to cross the finish line. The new 2020 Lancet Countdown finds worsening climate impacts on health, from wildfires, flooding, drought, and disease. But we’re feeling hopeful about a ‘rebound’ in HIV/AIDS services, which could also support the roll-out of Covid-19 tests and vaccines.

03.12.2020

Today’s reason for hope

Credit: Keystone/OBS/SolidarMed/Martin Ramsauer/Aids & Kind.

HIV and AIDS services rebounding in the wake of Covid-19. After initial disruptions, WHO says services have bounced back in the past few months as healthcare workers and governments found new ways to adapt services to pandemic conditions, and even make them do double duty, testing for HIV and Covid-19 simultaneously.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

Global Health News

UK approves Pfizer vaccine. Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, which requires ultra-deep freeze storage, is the first over the finish line. But how soon will cheaper and more durable vaccines reach countries outside of Europe and the United States?

Health Policy Watch (EN)

Lancet Countdown on health and climate. The world gets a “fail” grade on 40 indicators of soaring climate impacts on health. But another report says the climate goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement could be “within reach” if China, Japan and others make good on their recent pledges.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

Here's what else is happening

Can Biden re-engage the US with the world?
Swissinfo.ch (EN)
Humans waging ‘suicidal war’ on nature, UN chief warns.
CNN (EN)
Iran advances nuclear programme after scientist's assassination.
Newsweek (EN)
Child marriage up by 13 million due to the pandemic.
UNFPA (EN)
Better race and ethnicity data essential for fighting Covid-19.
Stat News (EN)
Contraceptive research needs a reboot.
Nature (EN)
Modern slavery effects more than 40 million people.
United Nations (EN)
Health spending gets 12 per cent of Switzerland’s GDP.
RTS (FR)
People in armed conflict cannot be forgotten in Covid-19 vaccination.
ICRC (EN)

Image of the day

Credit: EPA/Mads Claus Rasmussen / DENMARK OUT

Humboldt penguins get a vaccine at Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark on Tuesday. Once a year, all of the zoo’s birds must undergo a health check and be vaccinated against bird flu. The most common form of bird flu, H5N1, discovered in 1997, can also infect humans. With a 60 per cent fatality rate, it is even more deadly than Covid-19. While H5N1 infections occur mostly among people working closely with bird populations, it’s a stark example of how diseases have crossed the animal-human barrier well ahead of the current pandemic.

Next on the agenda

3 December | Maintaining quality essential health services during Covid-19. Learning from country experiences to explore the critical role of quality in maintaining essential health services during the pandemic.

WHO (EN)

3 - 4 December | 2nd Asia Pacific Patients Congress. The 2020 programme will reflect on the impact of Covid-19, the ongoing developments and the next steps towards achieving UHC in the region in the midst of Covid-19.

IAPO (EN)

8 December | Pathogen and benefit-sharing: where next in the global governance of outbreaks? The pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in the global governance of outbreaks. This event examines one of them - pathogen and benefit-sharing (PBS) - in more detail.

Global Health Centre, IHEID (EN)

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Have a good day!

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