Hello from Friends! Here is a quick look at what's new in our work to fight AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria in the age of COVID-19.
New York Times: As Coronavirus Mutates, the World Stumbles Again to Respond
With infections skyrocketing, '"it’s a race against time.”

  • "As the virus continues to mutate, other significant variants will almost certainly emerge. And those that make the virus hardier, or more contagious, will be more likely to spread."
Join Us for a #FriendsHealthChat with Africa CDC Director Dr. John Nkengasong
The Hill: African Officials Urge Increased Testing as Coronavirus Surges Across Continent
  • "Africa has lagged behind other continents, including North America, in terms of total confirmed COVID-19 cases for months, though officials worry that case counts in some countries may remain artificially low due to low testing availability."

  • "Some areas, particularly remote rural regions, remain barred from accessing the COVID-19 tests due to their isolation or simply because they cannot afford the costs. The top official in charge of Uganda's national testing program told the AP that tests can cost as much as $65 to $100 and remains unavailable in some rural regions."
Averting Disaster: New Urgency for U.S. Support of Global Fund in Next COVID-19 Supplemental
  • The United States will not be safe from COVID-19 is under control everywhere. We learned last year how quickly a disease can spread across the globe.

  • The Global Fund is the lead multilateral agency working to procure and distribute COVID-19 tests, therapeutics, and PPE to protect health workers, and mitigate damage to AIDS, TB and malaria programs.

  • The Global Fund is out of money to response to COVID-19. $4 billion is needed as soon as possible for the Global Fund's COVID-19 response as part of a broader investment to address COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and COVID-19's impact on AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programming.

  • The U.S. typically dedicates 1% of its annual budget to international assistance, but thus far it has provided only 0.2% in COVID-19 emergency funding for global aspects of the pandemic.
Global Fund COVID-19 Response Funds Fully Deployed, Additional Funding Required
  • "The Global Fund has awarded nearly $1 billion to 106 countries to support their responses to COVID-19, but has now fully deployed all its funding for this purpose."

  • "There are significant further needs for immediate funding, including for personal protective equipment (PPE), testing and treatment, and to mitigate the impact on lifesaving HIV, TB and malaria programs."

  • "The Global Fund partnership moved swiftly to help countries respond to COVID-19, providing millions of tests and PPE, and enabling rapid adaption of HIV, TB and malaria programs."

  • "In addition to redeployed internal funds, the Global Fund’s COVID-19 response received contributions from donors including Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Norway and the FIFA Foundation."
How COVID-19 is Affecting the Global Response to AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
  • The Lancet Infectious Diseases: “The bottom line is that while health-care workers in endemic countries have battled exceptionally hard on three fronts, policy makers cannot forget that tuberculosis and malaria are greater long-term threats than COVID-19, and planning of resource allocation must account for that.”

  • The Lancet HIV: “People with HIV in the UK seem to be at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality. Targeted policies should be considered to address this raised risk as the pandemic response evolves.”

We're tracking the intersection of COVID-19 and AIDS, TB and malaria. See regular updates on our website.
Global Health News
  • Friends Applauds Global Fund and Other Global Health Support in Omnibus Funding Bill (Statement)

  • Epidemiologist Salim Abdool Karim: 'None of Us Are Safe from COVID-19 if One Of Us is Not. We Have Mutual Interdependence' (The Guardian)

  • World Risks 'Moral Catastrophe' If COVID-19 Shots Delayed in Africa, Its CDC Chief Says (Reuters)

  • As Virus Resurges in Africa, Doctors Fear the Worst Is Yet to Come (New York Times)
Be sure to check www.theglobalfight.org for the latest. Thanks for your support.
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