PHM-Exch> Bulletin #6: Diagnosing the weak spots of the pandemic response

[Jyotsna Singh]

Bulletin #6: Diagnosing the weak spots of the pandemic response
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/bulletin-6/>
By People's Health Dispatch – 13 Aug 2021 – View online →
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/bulletin-6/>

This fortnight

Inequities persist in the global pandemic response as rich countries
continue to prefer nationalism over solidarity. Testing for Covid-19
<http://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/13/inequity-in-covid-19-testing-has-far-reaching-consequences-for-poor-countries/>
staggers in low and middle income countries, in great measure because of
issues with procurement and distribution, coordinated by the ACT-A
diagnostics pillar. Underfunded and perceived to be less interesting than
the vaccines pillar by donors, ACT-A diagnostics struggles to scale up its
work. We bring an analysis of global governance of diagnostics.

In Africa, the limited availability of vaccines and tests is additionally
complicated by recent actions by credit-rating agencies. The agencies are
bullying countries
<http://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/13/less-than-2-vaccinated-even-as-covid-19-cases-cross-7-1-million-in-africa/>
that have decided to increase expenditure to mount a better pandemic
response by downgrading their ratings. You can read more about the
consequences of this in one of our reports.

Governments in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe have taken steps to limit
the right to strike of health workers
<http://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/13/health-workers-right-to-strike-under-threat/>
under the pretext of protecting people’s right to health. In spite of the
limitations, health workers in all three countries have not given up on
fighting together for fairer health systems: find out more in one of our
articles.

In Ireland, health workers and social movements have come together to
campaign for a unified and universal public health system
<http://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/13/a-health-system-for-all-of-ireland/>
that would provide health care to all people, on both sides of the border.
In this issue, we bring more about their recent actions.

In the second part of the conversation we shared in our last issue, Prof
Christophe Z Guilmoto
<http://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/07/29/what-led-to-undercounting-of-covid-19-deaths-in-india/>
and Indranil Mukhopadhyay discuss the scale of the under-reporting of
Covid-19 deaths in India, reflecting on possible ways to avoid it in the
future.

Finally, in our Data Speaks section, this time we bring a graphic
comparison between the number of Covid-19 related deaths in Africa and in
Europe.
------------------------------
Featured articles

*Inequity in COVID-19 testing has far reaching consequences for poor
countries
<http://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/13/inequity-in-covid-19-testing-has-far-reaching-consequences-for-poor-countries/>*

Testing is crucial to combat the pandemic. But with all the funds and
attention going towards vaccines, diagnostics is suffering, impeding key
steps to curb the spread of the virus

*Less than 2% vaccinated even as COVID-19 cases cross 7.1 million in Africa*
<http://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/13/less-than-2-vaccinated-even-as-covid-19-cases-cross-7-1-million-in-africa/>

Despite the recently increased supply, the continent suffers a severe
shortage of vaccines due to stockpiling by wealthier countries and the
credit rating agencies’ practice of disproportionately downgrading
developing countries during the pandemic

*Health workers’ right to strike under threat*
<http://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/13/health-workers-right-to-strike-under-threat/>

Some governments have taken the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to limit
people’s rights, including workers’ right to organize. Across the world,
health workers who have organized strikes and other actions have faced
repression and threats

*A health system for all of Ireland*
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/13/a-health-system-for-all-of-ireland/>

People all over Ireland continue to campaign for changes in the health
system that would allow universal access on the whole island, independently
of borders.

*Video interview: Counting the uncounted COVID-19 deaths in India*
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/11/counting-the-uncounted-covid-19-deaths-in-india/>

In part two of this discussion between Professor Christophe Z Guilmoto and
Indranil Mukhopadhyay, they discuss how India grossly under-reported deaths
from COVID-19.
  <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiNiwULw3LU>
------------------------------
Data speaks
Source: Our World in Data, www.ourworldindata.org
Source: Our World in Data, www.ourworldindata.org
------------------------------
In case you missed it
COVID-19 treatment: SOLIDARITY trial is restarting with 3 drugs this time :
Peoples Dispatch
The drug candidates for repurposing are imatinib, a cancer drug;
infliximab, an antibody; and artesunate, an anti-malarial drug
Peoples Dispatch•Sandipan Talukdar
<http://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/09/covid-19-treatment-solidarity-trial-is-restarting-with-3-drugs-this-time/>
How Australia Won Universal Health Care — And How Workers Saved It With a
General Strike
In 1974, the Whitlam Labor government introduced Australia’s first
universal health care system. Despite its flaws, Medibank was a huge step
forward — and Australia’s unions organized a general strike to defend it
against conservative attacks.
•Anthony O’Donnell
<https://jacobinmag.com/2021/08/australia-universal-health-care-whitlam-administration-medibank-medicare-alp-actu-strike>
Wrestling with the Pandemic - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung
Bangladesh’s health care infrastructure is woefully under-equipped to fight
COVID-19
Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung: To start page
<https://www.rosalux.de/en/news/id/44781?cHash=6fddbd11c005637ac24710871f3286c1>
Resident doctors in Nigeria go on indefinite strike over salary delays and
poor work conditions : Peoples Dispatch
The union also claimed that only one out of 19 families of doctors who died
during COVID-19 work have been paid compensation, so far
Peoples Dispatch•Peoples Dispatch
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/08/03/resident-doctors-in-nigeria-go-on-indefinite-strike-over-salary-delays-and-poor-work-conditions/>
COVID-19 and Courts Symposium: Maximum Disclosure — Colombian Tribunal
Leads Way in Ensuring Transparency over COVID-19 Vaccine Contracts
Rocío Quintero, Timothy Fish Hodgson and Young Park work at the
International Commission of Jurists. This symposium consists of a series of
posts authored by the different panelists of a webinar ho…
Opinio Juris•Rocio Quintero Timothy Fish Hodgson and Young Park
<https://opiniojuris.org/2021/08/02/covid-19-and-courts-symposium-maximum-disclosure-colombian-tribunal-leads-way-in-ensuring-transparency-over-covid-19-vaccine-contracts/>
Insulated From Patent Waivers, Pfizer and Moderna Hike Vaccine Prices
“Capitalism never fails to not surprise,” wrote one observer.
Common Dreams•Julia Conley
<https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/08/02/insulated-patent-waivers-pfizer-and-moderna-hike-vaccine-prices>
A Political Economy Analysis of the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Health
Workers
Health and auxiliary workers have been applauded as heroes by patients and
politicians, but this has not translated into policies that address their
rights and needs.
Yale Law School
<https://law.yale.edu/yls-today/news/political-economy-analysis-impact-covid-19-pandemic-health-workers>
*People’s Health Dispatch is an initiative of Peoples Dispatch and the
People's Health Movement*
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