H5N1

Ukraine: Almost 14 million displaced by war

Via Reliefweb: Statement by Amin Awad, Assistant Secretary-General and United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine marking 100 days since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February - Ukraine.

Today marks 100 days since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. This invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and of the Charter of the United Nations.  

This war has taken an unacceptable toll on people and engulfed virtually all aspects of civilian life. This war has and will have no winner. Rather, we have witnessed for 100 days what is lost: lives, homes, jobs and prospects. We have witnessed destruction and devastation across cities, towns and villages. Schools, hospitals and shelters have not been spared.  

Families and communities have been disrupted and uprooted. In just over three months, nearly 14 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes, the majority women and children – a scale and speed of displacement not witnessed in history.  

More than 3 million children saw their education suspended – an entire generation of children whose future hangs in the balance. All over the country, hundreds of thousands of people do not have access to water and electricity, and millions do not know where their next meal is coming from. 15.7 million people are in need of humanitarian support now, with numbers growing.  

One hundred days on, the war ravages unabated especially in the east of the country. And with winter coming, millions of civilian lives could be in peril.  

The United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners in Ukraine continue supporting those whose lives have been shattered by war. In the past 100 days, we have provided immediate humanitarian aid to some 8 million people across the country, including in besieged cities in the east of Ukraine.  

At the same, the United Nations are pursuing every pathway to mitigate the global ramifications of the war’s devastating impact on food security by seeking to unblock critical grain and commodity trade.  

Our tireless efforts to respond to the war’s devastating impact will continue, robustly and stead-fast.  

But above all we need peace. The war must end now.

Early warning, alert and response to acute public health events in refugee-hosting countries

ECDC has published Early warning, alert and response to acute public health events in refugee-hosting countries. Click or tap through to download the document.

This document serves as an advocacy and quick assessment tool for public health responders in refugee-hosting countries to evaluate and strengthen EWAR capacities in two principal settings: 1) refugee reception centres or temporary shelter facilities, taken together as ‘high occupancy settings’, where refugees congregate overnight in close conditions, and 2) the community, or settings with living conditions similar to those of other residents. 

It does not intend to propose that new structures be established in parallel to replicate already well-functioning systems, but rather to look at opportunities to strengthen core capacities and ensure epidemic threats are appropriately monitored to allow for timely detection and response – especially in scenarios where new health care settings may need to be assessed, scaled up and linked to already established systems.

Canada is failing Ukrainians displaced by Russian invasion, former head of Doctors Without Borders says

Via The Globe and Mail: Canada is failing Ukrainians displaced by Russian invasion, former head of Doctors Without Borders says. Excerpt:

Ottawa needs to do more to help Ukrainian refugees navigate the complexities of paperwork and logistics to come to Canada, the former head of Doctors Without Borders says, lest it reprise past blunders.  

“We know the failures in Afghanistan of not living up to our promises. And we cannot repeat history,” said Joanne Liu, a Montreal emergency physician who returned recently from three weeks in Ukraine, where she was struck by the warm reception to her Canadian passport.  

Many in the country remember early Canadian promises to stand by Ukraine, making Canada “a place of promise, a place of hope,” Dr. Liu said. “We have to live up to our promise,” she added, pointing to bureaucratic obstacles Ukrainians must navigate before coming to Canada.  

“We absolutely need to lift the red tape. For people who are seeking to come here, it’s not good enough to just say, ‘Well, we have extended the hours of our consulates.’ ”  

For example, Ukrainians need better linguistic support to complete paperwork in an unfamiliar language, she said. “You have to facilitate it. That means you should staff better, you should have people who speak the language.”  

In early March, the Canadian government said it was creating a telephone hotline as “a dedicated service channel for Ukraine immigration inquiries.” That line offers service in French and English only, and suggests anyone who speaks another language write in using a web form. The Globe and Mail called the number six times on Friday, but was not able to reach anyone. When The Globe selected an option for callers “regarding the situation in Ukraine,” the hotline hung up each time.  

Global Affairs Canada referred questions to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

COVID-19 is in for the long haul

Here's a screenshot of this evening's Johns Hopkins Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) dashboard:

It's notable for several reasons. First, the US is now far back in the 28-day case count—seventh, behind Germany, South Korea, Russia, Vietnam, France, and Brazil.

 

Second, almost all the case and mortality numbers are likely severe undercounts, since so many countries have simply abandoned any pretence of testing and contact tracing. I would not be shocked if the true number of cases were around 1.5 billion, and deaths close to 20 million.

 

The numbers for Russia (3.7 million cases in the last 28 days, 20,000 deaths) and Ukraine (458,000 cases, 3,800 deaths) are especially implausible, given the events of the past 15 days. But we'll surely see an explosive growth in cases as over 2 million Ukrainians move through Europe in search of refuge.

 

The early-success countries have largely succumbed to Omicron. While China pursues its zero-COVID policy, it's still recorded 539,000 cases and 2,600 deaths. Hong Kong has seen 533,000 cases in 28 days, and 2,600 deaths. Vietnam racked up 26 million cases in the last 28 days, and 2,400 deaths. New Zealand had 267,000 cases and 12 deaths; it had only 38,900 cases in the previous 23 months of the official pandemic.

 

The graphs on the right tell us that the Omicron spike has fallen sharply from its peak of 23,333,000 in the week ending January 23; we're now at 10,706,000 as of the week ending March 6. That looks impressive, but it's still about 5 million more than the three previous waves.

 

Omicron also drove a spike in deaths, peaking at 75,000 in the week of February 13 and now fallen to 50,400. Meanwhile, vaccinations have fallen from a recent high of 257,000 in the week of February 6 to 105,600 in the week ending March 6.

 

Yet many countries are effectively declaring the pandemic over, making masks and distancing optional, junking vaccine passports, and dropping regular reports by public health officials. Governments seem to think COVID-19 can now sink back into the background noise with other diseases, while we turn our attention to war and inflation and the next election.

 

On February 1, Johns Hopkins reported 381,232,070 cases, so we have seen almost 72 million cases of COVID-19 in the past six weeks alone. Even if the Omicron spike continue to drop, the next six weeks will see tens of millions more cases, and likely another 40 or 50 thousand people now alive will be dead before May 1. 

 

We are nowhere near the end of the pandemic. In fact, I expect it will in many ways get worse as healthcare systems really do collapse, and as sequelae like Long COVID affect more and more cases. The pandemic that began two years ago really is in the for long haul.

'Falling off a cliff': Pandemic crippling world's most fragile states, finds report

Via The Guardian: 'Falling off a cliff': pandemic crippling world's most fragile states, finds report. Excerpt:

Thousands could starve in the world’s most fragile states as the pandemic comes on top of existing crises, warns a new report today which found aid workers are deeply pessimistic about the coming year. 

The survey of aid workers by the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) found that they believed humanitarian conditions were at their worst in a decade. 

The chief executive of the DEC, Saleh Saeed, said reduced funding could force aid providers to prioritise some populations and services over others. 

“People living in places made perilous by conflict, violence and climate disasters are coping with the coronavirus pandemic as best they can, but the odds are stacked against them. The knock-on effects of the pandemic have crippled economies, making the world’s poorest people even poorer,” said Saeed. 

The report focused on Syria, Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan, as well as the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.

It said there had been a significant economic impact in all of these countries, but that the direct health impact of the coronavirus had also been underestimated because of insufficient testing capacity. 

Ahmed Khalif, country director for the charity Action Against Hunger in Somalia, said livelihoods had been damaged by drops in crucial livestock exports and remittances sent from the diaspora, coming alongside conflict, locust infestations and drought.

UNHCR offers support as large fire destroys asylum center in Moria, Greece

Via ReliefWeb, a news release: UNHCR offers support as large fire destroys asylum center in Moria - Greece.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, deplores the fire that largely destroyed Moria’s Registration and Identification Center (RIC) last night and thanks to the local authorities, including the fire department and emergency services that helped to contain the fire and assisted the people. So far, no casualties have been reported.  

We have immediately deployed our staff on the ground and have offered our assistance to the Greek authorities as we are concerned about the situation of some 12,000 asylum seekers, including more than 4,000 children as well as about other vulnerable groups, including 407 unaccompanied children, pregnant women and elderly people. 

We have been informed about reports of tensions between people in neighboring villages and asylum seekers who were trying to reach Mytilene’s town. We urge all to exercise restraint and ask all those who were previously staying at the RIC, which was under quarantine as some 35 people had tested positive with COVID-19, to restrict their movements and stay near RIC, as a temporary solution is being found to shelter them.

Rohingya refugees at high risk of COVID-19 in Bangladesh

Via The Lancet Global Health: Rohingya refugees at high risk of COVID-19 in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has been ranked among the 17 countries with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. On June 19, 2020, the number of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in Bangladesh reached 105 535, with 1388 official recorded deaths among only 585 548 people tested in the country since the first case was identified on March 8, 2020. 

Several factors suggest that Bangladesh could be one of the next COVID-19 hotspots: it has a high population density; it has poor health infrastructure and resources; there has been poor adherence to physical distancing; complete lockdown has not been ensured at a national level; there is uncoordinated population mobility between rural and urban areas; there is little awareness of COVID-19 among the population; home quarantine has been used in place of institutional quarantine for returning overseas travellers; there are overcrowded urban areas with substandard housing; health institutions have limited capacities; and effective governance has been largely absent. 

In addition, the country is accommodating 1 118 576 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals named as Rohingya, including 860 175 Rohingya people who are sheltering in the world's largest refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, a city in southeastern Bangladesh. 

Since COVID-19 testing started in the refugee camps in early April (up to June 14, 2020), about 400 Rohingya refugees have been tested, 38 people have tested positive, and two people have died of COVID-19. The reported number of people with COVID-19 might not be accurate because Rohingya refugees with symptoms of the disease are not coming forward to get tested because fear is creating stigma in communities that is preventing people from seeking and receiving treatment. 

Rumours are also spreading within the camps that if anyone has COVID-19, they must be killed to prevent others becoming infected. Many refugees believe that health workers will kill them in the name of treatment. Although development agencies are working to support the Bangladesh Government, the number of tests for SARS-CoV-2 being done in the refugee camps is very low.

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 19 June 2020

Via WHO: WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 19 June 2020. Excerpt:

The pandemic is accelerating. More than 150 thousand new cases of COVID-19 were reported to WHO yesterday – the most in a single day so far. Almost half of those cases were reported from the Americas, with large numbers also being reported from South Asia and the Middle East. 

The world is in a new and dangerous phase. Many people are understandably fed up with being at home. Countries are understandably eager to open up their societies and economies. But the virus is still spreading fast, it’s still deadly, and most people are still susceptible.  

We call on all countries and all people to exercise extreme vigilance. Continue maintaining your distance from others. Stay home if you feel sick. Keep covering your nose and mouth when you cough. Wear a mask when appropriate. Keep cleaning your hands. 

We continue to call on all countries to focus on the basics: find, isolate, test and care for every case. Trace and quarantine every contact. As the pandemic gathers pace, it’s the most vulnerable who will suffer the most. All countries rich and poor have populations who are vulnerable to a higher risk of severe disease and death. 

Tomorrow is World Refugee Day – an important moment to highlight the risks of COVID-19 for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Refugees are particularly at risk of COVID-19 because they often have limited access to adequate shelter, water, nutrition, sanitation, and health services. Over 80 per cent of the world’s refugees and nearly all the world’s internally displaced people are hosted in low- and middle-income countries. WHO is deeply concerned about the very real and present danger of widespread transmission of COVID-19 in refugee camps.  

Beyond the health threat posed by the virus, COVID-19 is also exposing many refugees to even more severe hardship. A report published today by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement shows that about 70 percent of refugees surveyed in Turkey reported having lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic. 

We have a shared duty to do everything we can to prevent, detect and respond to transmission of COVID-19 among refugee populations. Public health measures that reduce transmission of COVID-19 require strict and sustained implementation. This is difficult to achieve in refugee camps, where the public health situation is weak. 

COVID-19 outbreak hits refugee home in Germany

Via DW.com: Coronavirus outbreak hits refugee home in Germany.

Scores of people have tested positive for COVID-19 at a refugee home in western Germany, local authorities say. 

Some 70 people have tested positive and authorities have tested around 300 other residents at the compound, which is located in the town of Sankt Augustin outside the city of Bonn.

The local Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper on Sunday reported that the number of positive cases at the facility was over 100. The rest of the nearly 500 asylum-seekers living at the facility are also due to be tested. 

Most of the people who have tested positive for the virus either had mild or no symptoms, the district government said. The residents who tested positive have been isolated, authorities said, adding that 60 people whose tests came back negative have been transferred to another home. 

Testing 'happening far too late' 

News of the outbreak prompted swift criticism, with politicians urging for better protections for asylum-seekers.  

"We have repeatedly called for blanket testing in these homes," Green Party politician Horst Becker told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. "Now we can see that this is happening far too late." 

Outbreaks have also been reported at other refugee homes in Bonn, Berlin and other areas of Germany.  Last week, a court ruled protections against the coronavirus were "inadequate" at a refugee home in the same state as the Sankt Augustin outbreak. A pregnant woman and her husband had appealed to the court to be removed from the facility.  

Asylum-seekers in Germany are required to live in "reception centers," or shared accommodations, during their asylum applications. Many live with several hundred other inhabitants, with some sharing rooms with strangers.   

The conditions and lack of privacy in Germany's facilities for asylum-seekers have long been criticized by refugee and immigrant rights groups, with the coronavirus pandemic raising fears among asylum-seekers and activists alike.

Bangladesh: IMO scrambles to contain COVID-19 spread in Rohingya refugee camps

Via The Daily Star: IMO scrambles to contain Covid-19 spread in Rohingya refugee camps. The report and then another link:

A total of 1,275 Rohingya families at Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya upazila have been placed in quarantine after the first Covid-19 positive case was detected at the camp yesterday. 

About 5,000 people will have to stay indoors until further notice and will be provided with necessary supplies during the lockdown period, Dr Abu Toha Rezwan Bhuiyan, chief health coordinator of Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner's Office (RRRC), told The Daily Star. 

The whole Block-F of Kutupalong Lambashia's Rohingya Camp-1 has been placed under lockdown, Dr Abu Toha said. 

Meanwhile, the first coronavirus-infected Rohingya refugee at Ukhiya camp in Cox's Bazar is being treated at the camp's isolation centre, run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

The refugee was taken to the IOM's isolation centre at Kutupalong Lambashia's Rohingya Camp-2, reports our Cox's Bazar correspondent quoting Dr Abu Toha. 

The seven members of the patient's family were also kept under surveillance by a team of experts from IOM. 

The team is training the family members on how to stay in quarantine and practise distancing, the RRRC official said, adding that their samples will be collected and sent for coronavirus tests later in the day. 

The team of experts from the IOM is also trying to find out the source of the virus in the camp, Dr Abu Toha added.

Meanwhile, BBC News reports 2 persons have tested positive; the report also notes that the population density in Rohingya refugee camps ranges from 40,000 to 70,000 per square kilometer.