5 May 2020 – As the COVID-19 pandemic reshapes the way in which we work, keep in touch, go to school and shop for essentials – across the world – it has never been more important to bridge the digital…
Tag: Covid-19
Covid-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Incident-triggered neglect
Prof. Dr. Md. Belal Hossain ‘Virus’ is from a Greek word meaning ‘poison’ that was initially described by Edward Jenner in 1798. A virus is a highly contagious host-specific, non-cellular pathogenic organism, nucleoprotein particle and capable of replicating itself only…
Social trust and government responses to Covid-19
by Sevasti Chatzopoulou on 4th May 2020 How governments have addressed the pandemic has reflected different levels of social trust—which will have consequences for its aftermath.
Nearly half of global workforce impacted by COVID-19: ILO
Geneva, (Kanaga Raja) – Almost 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy – nearly half of the global workforce – have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown measures and/or are working in the hardest-hit sectors, the International…
A Joint Pledge of Defeating the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ranjan Roy, PhD. The world has been facing a quintessential global health challenge – Coronavirus (COVID-19). The COVID-19 pandemic brings with it the third and greatest economic, financial, and social shock of the 21st Century, after 9/11 and the Global…
Blood pressure medicines don’t raise COVID-19 risk
Commonly used blood pressure medicines do not heighten susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, or increase the risk of becoming seriously ill with the disease, three major studies said, positive news for the millions of people who take them.
Madonna claims she has COVID-19 antibodies
American pop icon Madonna announced via social media on Friday that she has tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, hinting she has immunity against the disease. However, medical experts said the possession of antibodies is not equal to immunity. Taking to…
Russian construction minister tests positive for COVID-19
Moscow, UNB/Xinhua, May 2 – Russian Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Vladimir Yakushev and his deputy Dmitry Volkov have tested positive for COVID-19, the TASS news agency reported on Friday, citing the press service of the ministry.
Unions’ responses to the Covid-19 crisis in Europe
by Chiara Benassi on 1st May 2020 @chiarabenax On International Workers’ Day, it is important to recall the crucial role played by unions in protecting the workforce, especially at times of crisis. The Covid-19 crisis is having a huge impact…
Scaling up Covid-19 response now to avoid higher costs later
Ceyla Pazarbasioglu & Ayhan Kose After a decade of uninterrupted growth, the global economy came to a sudden halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The question now is not whether there will be a global recession but how deep it…
$100 million from ADB to support COVID-19 response in BD
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday approved a $100 million loan to support the Government of Bangladesh in its efforts to address the immediate public health requirements of combating the coronavirus pandemic.“ADB stands with Bangladesh in this difficult time…
Govts cautioned not to use Covid-19 lockdown to cause harm
By Samira Sadeque UN, Apr 29 2020 (IPS) – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling on governments and leaders around the world to ensure that their respective lockdown measurements don’t end up causing harm to people…
Rare inflammatory syndrome seen in children with COVID-19
Children have largely been spared the worst of COVID-19, but there may be a rare complication — an inflammatory syndrome that one doctor described as causing patients to feel like “every blood vessel in the body is on fire.”
Wuhan lab director trashes COVID-19 conspiracy theory
Claims that the novel coronavirus came from China’s National Biosafety Laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) were groundless and contradict all available evidence, said its director Yuan Zhiming in a recent written interview with Reuters.
Save migrant workers from Covid-19, economic shock: MFA, LBB
An appeal to governments on behalf of Migrant workers in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic An appeal to governments in the time of COVID-19 by Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) and Lawyers Beyond Borders Network (LBB Network)
2 health workers among 8 diagnosed with Covid-19 in Natore
Eight people, including two health workers of Singra Health Complex, were found infected with Covid-19 in Natore district.
BDF shows alarming picture of doctors getting Covid-19 in BD
Two doctors are getting infected every hour on average while fighting against the novel coronavirus at both government and private hospitals across the country. This was disclosed on Tuesday by the Bangladesh Doctors Foundation (BDF), a forum of physicians, as…
Covid-19 Aid Limits in Bangladesh Imperil Rohingya – HRW
Refugee Camp Restrictions Threaten ‘Critical Services’ Bangkok – The Bangladesh government’s new Covid-19 restrictions on access to aid put Rohingya refugees at greater risk, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The lockdown measures cut humanitarian workers in refugee camps by 80…
WHO initiative for equitable access to COVID-19 tools
Austin, Texas, 27 Apr (Edward Hammond) – At a dramatic press conference on Friday (24 April) afternoon in Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled what it calls a “landmark collaboration” that aims for “equitable global access to innovative tools…
Covid-19 stimulus steps must save lives, livelihoods, nature
By Josef Settele, Sandra Díaz, Eduardo Brondizio and Peter Daszak Apr 27 2020 (IPS) – There is a single species that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic – us. As with the climate and biodiversity crises, recent pandemics are a…
Bgmea gives draft guideline to run factories amid Covid-19
Dhaka, April 26 – Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Saturday released a draft guideline and asked its members to follow them while running factories amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Authorized kits to be used for COVID-19 tests: health ministry
DHAKA, April 26: The government has prohibited unauthorized kits for using of those to test samples of COVID-19, a health official told a press briefing here on Saturday.
324 doctors fighting Covid-19 in BD infected: Doctors’ Forum
The deadly coronavirus which has spread to 60 districts of the country, out of 64, has infected 324 physicians both at private and public hospitals as of Saturday, said Bangladesh Doctors Foundation (BDF), a forum of physicians.
Swiss launch country-wide study on COVID-19 immunity
Researchers said they had begun collecting blood samples and interviewing people across Switzerland to determine what proportion of the population has antibodies to the novel coronavirus, and their level of immunity.
Global executives express severe pessimism amidst covid-19
As society-wide lockdowns ensue, the Economist Intelligence Unit reveals private-sector sentiment through its Global Business Barometer. • Sentiment about the global economy over the next three months registered at -39.2 on a scale of -50 (much worse) to +50 (much…
COVID-19 cases China’s in Hubei drop below 50 for first time
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hubei, the central China province hardest hit by the epidemic, dropped to below 50 Thursday for the first time, a health official said Friday.
Fair benefit sharing of Covid-19 research, medical products
London/Austin, 22 Apr (Sangeeta Shashikant and Edward Hammond) – The World Health Organization (WHO), in an announcement in March, linked rapid sharing of SARS-CoV-2 virus materials and sequence information to fair and equitable benefit sharing. But how this linkage will…
PM places five proposals, for global partnership on COVID-19
DHAKA (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called for forging a collective global partnership and greater unity to fight the coronavirus pandemic as she placed a five-point proposal that includes devising meaningful strategies. “The world is perhaps facing the…
The case of lockdown of Birdem diabetic Hospital ICU
The locking down of the Intensive Care Unit of the Birdem General Hospital, the best diabetic hospital in Bangladesh, after finding four out of five of its patients coronavirus positive is extremely shocking to say the least. All the doctors…
Star all rounder Shakib’s World Cup bat sold for Tk 2 mn
Dhaka, April 23 – Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s World Cup bat has been sold for Tk 2 million to a buyer identified as Raj, a Bangladeshi expatriate living in the USA.