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Showing all Blog Posts in Covid 19
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Pass-through shocks and income: The impact of COVID-19 on remittances in Ethiopia
Following COVID-19 induced global restrictions on the movement of people and activities, the Ethiopian economy, particularly the external sector, has faced significant challenges. COVID-19 related global disruptions have considerably affected tourism, exports, imports, and remittances to the country. The Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social...
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Crime and COVID-19: Lessons from Cape Town and Karachi
The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of how vulnerable cities in the global South are to devastation by contagion due to poorly managed population density, resource deprivation, and maladministration. However, there is another epidemic that has been harming these cities for much longer: urban violence. The cities of Cape Town and Karachi, both historically plagued by...
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The dangers of not knowing enough about COVID-19’s impact on women in Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan has begun publishing gender-disaggregated data on COVID-19 at a national level. One graph on the government’s Covid-19 website illustrates that men constitute 74% of observed cases so far (as of June 29th 2020). This is a significant aberration compared to worldwide trends and is one of the highest proportions globally. A WHO report on Gender...
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COVID-19 in Tanzania: Is business as usual response enough?
Tanzania’s unconventional approach to COVID-19 may be slow in response and may lack direction, but its uniqueness illustrates the need for governments to form context-specific smart containment strategies and recovery plans. To maintain multiple competing priorities, the Tanzanian government can increase public health funding to local health centres to implement mass...
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How clean hands can save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic
Handwashing with soap is the first line of defence against COVID-19. But without active support to improve water, sanitation and hygiene, the world is much more likely to experience prolonged and repeated pandemics. On June 1st, 9-year-old Stephen Wamukota received the Kenyan presidential award for inventing a pedal-operated hand-washing machine. The contraption, fashioned...
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Projecting the impact of COVID-19 on exports in Ethiopia
Agriculture exports will likely be the hardest hit, impacting poor rural livelihoods most. Domestic demand needs to be stimulated and protected. Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa, home to more than 110 million people and one of the fastest growing economies. Growth averaged more than 10% annually over the past decade and a half, leading to substantial...
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Ramping up early detection of COVID-19 with limited resources: The role of pool testing
The ability to rapidly detect COVID-19 is central to saving lives and protecting livelihoods. However, testing equipment and associated kits are expensive and in short supply. As a result, many countries are not conducting anywhere near enough tests. Worse still, many individuals are spreading the virus unknowingly and undetected. The situation is particularly acute in...
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Empowering our cities to fight the pandemics of the future
Members of the Cities that Work council come together to delineate the critical challenges that need to be addressed to equip our cities to withstand pandemics. Cities accomplish many wonderful things - they enable people to exchange ideas, goods and services, and many other forms of collaboration. However, the fact that they serve as international and national...
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Lockdown without borders: Regional integration and the AfCFTA can drive Africa’s COVID-19 response
In Africa, regional integration has long been viewed as a catalyst for long-term prosperity. With COVID-19 placing severe strain on economies across the continent, regional coordination can be an effective tool to manage the response and promote post-pandemic recovery. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whilst delayed, has created a platform and dialogue to...
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Torn safety nets: How COVID-19 has exposed huge inequalities in global education
In 2018, 258 million children of primary and secondary school age were out of school. Now, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 1.2 billion children find themselves out of school, at least physically. In both the developed and developing worlds, schools have been more than just places of learning; policy designs have moulded them into safety nets for children....