WHO’s impact is felt all over the world, from Europe, where migrants are learning to protect themselves from COVID-19, to Latin America and the Caribbean, where 56 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated.
Afghanistan is suffering from a shortage of health workers but contributions to WHO are helping train thousands to provide care. Somalia is running its own COVID-19 testing network, built from the ground up with WHO support: no longer does Somalia have to send its tests to Kenya for processing.
In the Bahamas, a new vaccine shipment is headed for vulnerable groups, while in Rwanda, drones are speeding emergency treatments above difficult terrain.
Read the details of these accomplishments, none of which would have been possible without donor contributions:
Amid conflict and pandemic, WHO supports Afghanistan’s health care system
Special training helps frontline health workers in Afghanistan manage injury and acute illness, including COVID-19, with limited resources. WHO also directly supports 130 trauma care units and 67 blood banks across 34 provinces.
Somalia’s testing capacity grows by leaps
Early in the pandemic, Somalia had no capacity to process COVID-19 tests; samples had to be sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi. Today, Somalia has molecular testing facilities in Mogadishu, Garowe and Hargeisa, and has introduced widespread rapid testing.
In Serbia, migrants learn to connect with health care
Every year, more than 50 000 refugees and migrants pass through Serbia. On arrival, many are exhausted, traumatized, and need medical services. WHO/Europe supports courses that teach migrant communities how to get the help they need, and health workers how to engage with them. Eight of these projects are active in Europe.
Vaccines for the vulnerable arrive in the Bahamas
Some 48,000 doses of AstraZeneca arrived here on 15 December. They were funded by a partnership set up to give vulnerable groups in Latin America and the Caribbean better access to vaccines.
More than 1.3 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the Americas
Collaboration across borders allowed vaccines to be developed in record time, variants to be identified quickly, and countries to adjust their responses to changing conditions. Today, 56 per cent of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean is fully vaccinated.
“Each time we worked together we had breakthroughs,” said Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne. “Sharing is central to defeating this pandemic.”
Creative delivery saves lives in Rwanda
Bearing emergency medicines and plasma, the bright red boxes bring hope to critically ill patients.
“There are many emotionally loaded days … where we mourn losses and celebrate recoveries at the same time,” said Dr Menelas Nkeshimana, a member of WHO’s COVID-19 surge response team, deployed to Rwanda Biomedical Centre. “It is a cruel reminder that COVID-19 remains a serious threat to us all.”
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Partners and donors recognized in this week’s feature are the governments of Canada and Colombia, FIND, IDEAS Centre for Research and Social Development in Serbia, USAID and Zipline
WHO thanks all governments, organizations and individuals contributing to the COVID-19 response around the world since the beginning of the outbreak, and in particular those who have provided fully flexible contributions, to ensure a comprehensive fight against the disease.
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Member States and other governments since 2021:
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Comoros, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lesotho, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America.
Other partners since 2021:
African Development Bank Group, African Reinsurance Corporation, Alma Jean Henry Charitable Trust, Ancash, Asian Development Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE), China Medical Board, COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, European Commission (ECHO, NEAR, DG-INTPA), Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Fundacion MAPFRE, FYT, Gavi-The Vaccine Alliance, International Development Association (IDA), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), Kuwait Fund for Development, National Philanthropic Trust (NPT), Rockefeller Foundation, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Sony, Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, Task Force for Global Health (TFGH), The UN Resident Coordinator Office (UNRCO), International Drug Purchasing Facility (UNITAID), United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Veolia Environment Foundation, Vital Strategies, WHO Foundation, World Bank.
Read more about donors and partners contributing to the COVID-19 response
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