Global health leaders call for vaccine equity for health workers, communities

As Lebanon began its vaccination campaign on Sunday, February 14, the number of daily COVID-19 cases has been dwindling since the imposition of a strict lockdown on January 14, 2021.

As two African countries – Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - have reported the resurgence of Ebola cases and the death of at least five individuals, Project HOPE is highly concerned that the disease will spread further across the region.

The number of COVID-19 deaths has increased by 50 times since the Beirut port explosion—compared to the total number of deaths recorded in the first six months of the pandemic. These numbers should be a wake-up call for the country’s leaders to invest in public health if they want to avert future health crises, says Project HOPE.

In reaction to the inauguration of and first actions taken by the 46th U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Project HOPE, a global health and humanitarian organization, issued the following open letter.

More than a week after the start of a strict lockdown in Lebanon, the number of reported COVID-19 daily cases remain very high with a 7-day average of more than 4,600 daily new cases (as of January 20, 2021). As a result, the government announced on Thursday, January 21 that the 24-hour lockdown will be extended for two weeks, until Monday, February 8.

After a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the West Sulawesi Province in Indonesia on January 15, Project HOPE is assessing public safety and health needs with the goal to deliver emergency aid.

More than four weeks after Hurricanes Eta and Iota hit Central America, several thousand Hondurans remain without access to clean water and health services. Most water sources in the Santa Barbara department in Honduras are contaminated, exposing the population to illnesses such as water-borne and skin diseases, warns Project HOPE. In addition, more than one hundred health facilities remain inoperative across affected areas.

While Lebanon’s government could soon end subsidies on medicines, the health care sector in Lebanon is at risk of collapse, warns Project HOPE. Many Lebanese already cannot afford to buy medicines because of the country’s inflation and insufficient drug supplies. Ending the government support to medications can have a detrimental effect on the population’s health.

The armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh has caused many displaced persons to take refuge at transitional settlements across Armenia. Several thousand people are suffering from life-threatening health conditions and inadequate access to health care services.

For the foreseeable future, climate change will pose an even greater threat to safety, public health systems and our strained global health workforce than the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to data by the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, COVID-19 deaths have surpassed AIDS deaths recorded in 2019 and are on track to surpass tuberculosis-related deaths as a leading cause of death.