COVID-19 PANDEMIC: Day 110- WHO, UN Foundation and partners launch first-of-its-kind COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund
COPENHAGEN – Greenland confirms first case of coronavirus
In a file photo taken on June 15, 2018, snow-covered mountains rise above the harbour and town of Tasiilaq, in Greenland.PHOTO: REUTERS
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“We are at a critical point in the global response to COVID-19 – we need everyone to get involved in this massive effort to keep the world safe,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We are immensely grateful to the UN Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation for coming forward to help us set up this fund. A lot of people and institutions have been saying they want to contribute to the fight against the novel coronavirus. Now they can.”
The fund launches with major support already lined up, including from Facebook and Google who have instituted a matching scheme for funds raised through their platforms, while individual donors are also supporting the fund through www.COVID19ResponseFund.org.
“We can’t ignore the fact that this is a truly global problem – one that requires truly global solutions,” said Elizabeth Cousens, UN Foundation President and CEO. “The case for global cooperation could not be clearer – communities everywhere are affected, and people want to contribute. This new fund will create space for people everywhere, together, to fight this virus.”
Funds will go towards actions outlined in the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to enable all countries – particularly those most vulnerable and at-risk, and with the weakest health systems – to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 crisis including rapidly detecting cases, stopping transmission of the virus, and caring for those affected.
WHO and its partners are seeking financing for protective equipment for frontline health workers; to equip diagnostic laboratories; improve surveillance and data collection; establish and maintain intensive care units; strengthen supply chains; accelerate research and development of vaccines and therapeutics; and take other critical steps to scale up the public health response to the pandemic.
The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund is hosted by two foundations, the UN Foundation (registered in the United States) and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation (registered in Switzerland). Both foundations have established relationships with the World Health Organization, allowing for efficient transfer of financial resources to enable COVID-19 response efforts.
Apart from giving online at www.COVID19ResponseFund.org, the UN Foundation can also receive donations via check or wire from around the world by contacting [email protected].
All donations made to the United Nations Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by the law, where applicable (U.S. and Switzerland). Additionally, Swiss Philanthropy Foundation has partnered with Transnational Giving Europe to extend tax benefit to certain additional European countries where applicable.
About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation brings together the ideas, people, and resources the United Nations needs to drive global progress and tackle urgent problems. Our hallmark is to collaborate for lasting change and innovate to address humanity’s greatest challenges. With an insider’s knowledge and outsider’s flexibility, we stay agile to get things done. Learn more at: www.unfoundation.org.
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COVID-19 PANDEMIC:
NOW EPICENTER:
EUROPE’S MILAN, Italy.
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COPENHAGEN – Greenland confirms first case of coronavirus
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COPENHAGEN (AFP) – Greenland announced its first case of the novel coronavirus on Monday (March 16), as the autonomous Danish Arctic territory brought in restrictions to protect residents from the pandemic.
“The first case of the new coronavirus has now been confirmed in Greenland,” according to a local government statement, citing the island’s health service.
The infected patient lives in the capital Nuuk, and has been placed in home isolation, the government added.
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READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/greenland-confirms-first-case-of-coronavirus
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LONDON- Britain’s coronavirus outbreak to last until Spring 2021 with nearly 8 million people hospitalised: Report
LONDON – Nearly eight million people in Britain could be hospitalised due to the coronavirus epidemic, with the outbreak expected to last until spring next year, The Guardian reported.
Citing a secret Public Health England (PHE) document for senior National Health Service (NHS) officials, the newspaper said the report outlines the potential scale of the outbreak.
“As many as 80 per cent of the population are expected to be infected with Covid-19 in the next 12 months, and up to 15 per cent (7.9 million people) may require hospitalisation,” The Guardian cited the document as saying, adding that four in five people “are expected” to be infected
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READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/britains-coronavirus-outbreak-to-last-until-spring-2021-with-up-to-8-million-people
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EPICENTER:
ASIA’S WUHAN, HUBEI PROV., China.
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BEIJING- Mainland China reports 21 new coronavirus cases, 13 more deaths
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BEIJING (REUTERS) – Mainland China had 21 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Monday (March 16), the National Health Commission said on Tuesday, up from 16 a day earlier.
That brings the total number of confirmed cases in China so far to 80,881.
The death toll from the outbreak in China had reached 3,226 as of the end of Monday, up by 13 from the previous day.
In the central province of Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak, there were 12 new deaths, with the provincial capital of Wuhan accounting for 11 of the fatalities.
The number of imported cases of the virus in mainland China reached 143 as of Monday, up 20 from a day earlier.
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ASEAN
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BRUNEI- COVID-19 cases in Sultanate rise to 54
COVID-19 cases in the Sultanate reached 54 on Monday after another four individuals tested positive for the virus.
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PHNOM PENH- Most of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Cambodia are imported
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Almost all the 12 cases with confirmed COVID-19 infection are imported cases, except the Cambodian man in Siem Reap who was in direct contact with a Japanese infected man, said the Communicable Disease Control Department (CDC) of the Ministry of Health.
The 12 confirmed cases are a Chinese tourist who had been successfully cured and returned to his home country, a Cambodian man in Siem Reap province, three British tourists, a Canadian man, a Belgian man, a French man and his four-month-old baby, a Cambodian man returning from France, and two Cambodian Muslims in Preah Vihear province who returned from a religious event in Malaysia.
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READ MORE: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50702475/most-of-covid-19-confirmed-cases-in-cambodia-are-imported/
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VIENTIANE, Laos- PM orders preschools, kindergartens closed
Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has ordered the temporary closure of preschools and kindergartens across the country in the wake of the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus in many countries.
The closure, which will take effect today, was ordered despite there being no confirmed case in Laos as of yesterday.
Speaking to local media yesterday during his working visit to Wattay International Airport in Vientiane to inspect frontline coronavirus screening efforts, the PM instructed the National Task Force Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control to work with the Ministry of Education and Sports to carry out the closure.
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READ MORE: http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/freeContent/FreeConten_PM54.php
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JAKARTA- Indonesia Rules Out Lockdowns as Covid-19 New Cases Growth Slows Down
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo gives a press statement at Bogor Palace in West Java on Monday. (Antara Photo/Hafidz Mubarak A.)
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Jakarta. Indonesian health authorities announced 17 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Monday, marking the third straight days of decline in the number of new patients as the country ramping up efforts — except locking down cities — to stop the disease from spreading among the local population.
The total number of patients has reached 134 people since the country first found the pneumonia-like disease in its territory on March 2. The number of fatalities has remained at five and recoveries at eight in the past three days.
READ MORE: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-rules-out-lockdowns-as-covid19-new-cases-growth-slows-down
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia- Malaysia goes into lockdown mode
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KUALA LUMPUR (Malay Mail) – Malaysia will be in a nationwide lockdown from this Wednesday (March 18) until March 31 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced yesterday.
READ MORE: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50702533/malaysia-goes-into-lockdown-mode/
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RELATED STORY:
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia- No need for ‘lockdown’, says former Health Minister Dzul
PETALING JAYA: Former Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pix), says there is no need for a ‘lockdown’, amidst the Covid-19 outbreak.
Instead, he has listed down a few precautionary measures to be strictly adhered to.
He urged members of the public to immediately take mitigation measures by grade, by continuing containment steps for lowering the epidemic curve (reducing the number of cases occurring currently).
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READ MORE: https://www.thesundaily.my/local/no-need-for-lockdown-says-former-health-minister-dzul-EF2135503
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YANGON, Myanmar- State Counsellor says Myanmar still free of COVID-19
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said on Monday that Myanmar has no cases of COVID-19, after a Myanmar man who attended a conference in France last week and was in contact with a Filipino who later tested positive, tested negative for the disease.
“Until now, no one in our country is infected with COVID-19,” Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in a nationwide televised address on Monday. / AUNG PHAY KYI SOEKYAW SOE HTET
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READ MORE: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/state-counsellor-says-myanmar-still-free-covid-19.html
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MANILA- Duterte puts entire Luzon on lockdown
Salient points of new policy
- Mass gatherings banned
- Mass transport suspended
- Home quarantine a must
- Banks, hospitals, groceries allowed to open
- Land, air, sea travel restricted.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday placed the entire island of Luzon on lockdown until April 12 as the number of COVID-19 to case prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
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The announcement came after the President met with members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, who recommended an “enhanced community quarantine” that includes strict home quarantine in all households, a suspension of public transportation, the regulation of food and essential health services, and the heightened presence of uniformed personnel to enforce the quarantine. / byVito Barcelo and Joel Zurbano, Macon Ramos-Araneta
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READ MORE: https://manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/319845/duterte-puts-entire-luzon-on-lockdown.html
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SINGAPORE- Asean travellers rush to enter Singapore before border restrictions affecting them kick in
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SINGAPORE – With her luggage packed, Ms Nadine rushed to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and bought a ticket for the earliest available flight to Singapore.
The 25-year-old Indonesian arrived at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 on Monday (March 16) and was greeted by her husband, Mr Rama, 26, who has been training here since February to be a pilot with Garuda Indonesia.
READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/coronavirus-asean-travellers-rush-to-enter-singapore-before-border-restrictions-affecting.
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BANGKOK, Thailand- Virus puts paid to Songkran / Govt insists country hasn’t hit Stage 3 yet
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha raises his fists as he makes a televised announcement of the government’s efforts to contain the Covid-19 virus on Monday. He declared ‘Thailand will prevail’. (Government House photo)
The government will postpone the Songkran holiday and ban large public gatherings, including entertainment venues, sport and education activities, in fresh efforts to handle the spread of Covid-19.
Still, it insists that the country has not yet entered Stage 3, when community transmission of the virus becomes widespread.
READ MORE: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1880290/virus-puts-paid-to-songkran
RELATED STORY:
BANGKOK- Thailand reports 32 new coronavirus cases
This handout photo from the Royal Thai Government taken and released on March 12, 2020 Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha (centre) poses with nurses while visiting Rajavithi Hospital and inspect patients undergoing treatment from the Covid-19 coronavirus in Bangkok. (AFP Photo / Royal Thai Government)
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READ MORE: https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/1879320/thailand-reports-32-new-coronavirus-cases
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HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam records 61st COVID-19 patient
HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health on Monday evening reported four more COVID-19 patients in Việt Nam, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 61.
The latest patient, 42, lives in central Ninh Thuận Province’s Phước Nam Commune. He went to Malaysia on February 27 and returned Việt Nam on March 4 via Tân Sơn Nhất international airport in HCM City.
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READ MORE: https://vietnamnews.vn/society/653699/viet-nam-records-61st-covid-19-patient.html
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DILI, Timor-Leste- Italy, Iran, and South Korea added to Timor-Leste’s coronavirus travel bans.
Timor-Leste’s government has expanded its coronavrius travel ban to include foreign citizens who have travelled through Italy, South Korea, and Iran in the last four weeks.
The precautionary measures include asking people to leave Timor-Leste who have that travel
history. A ban was already in place for travelers from China. The ban does not apply to Timor-Leste citizens returning home from those
countries.
The resolution is effective immediately, and will be reviewed every 14 days. The four countries – South Korea, China, Italy
and Iran – account for 93% of the nearly 110,000 cases resported by more than 100 countries worldwide, Worl Health Organization
(WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed in a press conference Tuesday.
Timor-Leste remains COVID-19 free, with its first suspected cases, an Italian citizen, discharged from isolation on Monday after testing negative to the virus. In a letter
distributed Wednesday outlining the new travel restrictions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said mandatory quarantine would also take
place.
How this would take place, however, remains unclear. In a press conference later that day Vice-Health Minister Elia Antonio Dos Reis Amaral said two sties Bairo Formosa Clinic in Dili, and a women’s shelter at Tibar were “80 percent” ready to accept patients.
Health experts continue to advise people to maintain strict hygiene practices, including washing hands regularly, and avoiding crowds and physical contact with people to reduce spread of the virus. People with a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, are advised to seek
medical care early.
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READ MORE: https://www.guideposttimor.com/
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SEOUL- South Korea reports 84 new coronavirus cases, total at 8,320
SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea reported 84 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total infections to 8,320, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday (March 17).
This marks the third day in a row that the daily increase in new cases was below 100, compared with a Feb 29 peak of 909.
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READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/skorea-reports-84-new-coronavirus-cases-total-at-8320
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MIDDLE EAST
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TEHRAN- Iran says worsening outbreak could strain health facilities
Iran’s official leading the country’s response to the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East on Sunday acknowledged that the pandemic could overwhelm health facilities in Iran, which is under severe US sanctions.
Muslim authorities, meanwhile, announced that the Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam, would be closed indefinitely due to concerns about the outbreak, with prayers continuing to be held on the sprawling esplanade outside.
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READ MORE: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/iran-says-worsening-outbreak-could-strain-health-facilities.html
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