'Hour by hour' for aid workers in Ukraine

The people and politics driving global health.

Mar 10, 2022 View in browser   By Daniel Payne THE BIG IDEA A man presses a paper with the red cross on it against the windshield of a bus as civilians are evacuated from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. AID ON THE GROUND IN UKRAINE — Global health agencies' hopes that Russia would honor promises of safe passage for aid workers and supplies have been deflated as reports of violence against health care professionals and civilians persist. Russia promised humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee and medical aid to get in, but those agreements haven't been followed consistently, those on the ground said. "It's kind of hour by hour," James Elder, a UNICEF spokesperson in Ukraine, told Global Pulse. "What we've seen is promises of corridors broken, and we've seen children killed in those breaks. So, are they working at this moment? I don't know." The WHO said Wednesday it was still working to establish safe routes for medical supplies, adding it delivered 81 metric tons of supplies into the country so far. "The health system is becoming engulfed in this conflict," Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said at a briefing. Between the lines of fire, UNICEF still trucks water, but it won't be enough to meet the need until there are safe routes, Elder said. "It remains extremely difficult." Eighteen attacks on health care facilities have been confirmed, the WHO said Wednesday. And more are being investigated — UNICEF is looking into reports of a maternity clinic being destroyed. Just over the border, in Poland, Dorit Nitzan was one of the doctors attending to refugees — many of them standing for so long in the ice and snow that blisters on their feet became infected. Some refugees who had time to grab a bag before fleeing arrived in the camp with injured hands from clutching their remaining belongings for so long, Nitzan said. Nitzan, a doctor with Israel's NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief and previously a WHO official in Ukraine, is at one of the most populous border camps, with around 3,000 people at her center. The anxiety is, perhaps, the most present illness being treated, she said. The patients cannot eat, drink or sleep. "It's quiet there," she told Global Pulse. "You don't see people screaming or yelling." At the same time that doctors are treating people for anxiety or chronic diseases — often because the refugees had to leave without their medications — they're also concerned about the spread of communicable diseases in the camp. Covid rates were already high in Ukraine, and a polio outbreak was announced in 2021. "It will certainly pop up," Nitzan said — a sentiment echoed by WHO officials. At the end of most days, she and the other workers share what they saw. She remembered a man who had walked a long time while recovering from prostate cancer surgery, and the mother with an infant — only four days old — carrying her child all the way to safety. "It makes you cry," she said.   SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL SECURITY DAILY : Keep up with the latest critical developments from Ukraine and across Europe in our daily newsletter, National Security Daily. The Russian invasion of Ukraine could disrupt the established world order and result in a refugee crisis, increased cyberattacks, rising energy costs and additional disruption to global supply chains. Go inside the top national security and foreign-policymaking shops for insight on the global threats faced by the U.S. and its allies and what actions world leaders are taking to address them. Subscribe today.     WELCOME TO GLOBAL PULSE WELCOME BACK TO GLOBAL PULSE. We want to hear from you. Send tips — and say hello — at dpayne@politico.com. Global Pulse is a team effort. Thanks to editors Eli Reyes and Barbara Van Tine. Follow us on Twitter: @ErinBancoand @_daniel_payne. BEYOND THE PANDEMIC PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS CALL FOR A CHANGE OF COURSE — More than 100 public health, medical and epidemiology experts and advocates told President Joe Biden in a letter Wednesday that he isn't doing enough to stop the pandemic around the world. The letter's authors said the U.S. has "failed" in its global response, adding that vaccine and therapeutic manufacturing technology needs to be shared with low- and middle-income countries. The group also said more support is needed to turn vaccines into vaccinations around the world. But the White House emphasized its standing achievements globally, such as a focus on getting donated doses from the tarmac to the unvaccinated and pushing Congress for more funding to elicit an international response — as well as donating 475 million doses worldwide, with hundreds of millions more on the way. "There's a sense in rich nations that the pandemic is over," Gavin Yamey, a global health professor at Duke University who helped lead the effort to sway the administration, told Global Pulse. "We really wanted to remind folks that almost 3 billion people are completely unvaccinated." This all comes as Moderna said it would share its vaccine technology with some low- and middle-income countries and open a vaccine factory in Kenya, the latest in a flurry of private and public sector action to bring more vaccines around the world. GLOBAL PULSE NUMBER 6 million The number of worldwide Covid deaths surpassed this week, according to Johns Hopkins University. That count is likely well below the actual number of deaths caused by the virus, experts said. AROUND THE WORLD T-minus 100 — The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Institute is setting a goal to have a vaccine ready 100 days after an epidemic or pandemic threat is identified in the future — with the help of $1.5 billion in international funding. Japan led the pack in national contributions with $300 million. And the U.S., like many countries, significantly increased its contribution this year, to $150 million. CEPI's search for a variant-proof vaccine — At the Pandemic Preparedness Summit, CEPI also announced an award to support the creation of a vaccine that will protect against current and future Covid-19 variants — as well as other Betacaronaviruses. DIOSynVax, the U.K.-based spinoff from Cambridge University, will get up to $42 million to create an mRNA vaccine with broad protection. WHO's Covid arsenal expands — The WHO announced Wednesday its updated guidance around the use of self-testing for Covid-19, saying it should be used where available. This comes just a few days after the organization recommended — conditionally — its first oral Covid antiviral, molnupiravir, for nonsevere patients at a high risk of hospitalization. Austria drops its vaccine mandate — Austrian officials announced the suspension of its requirement for adults before it was ever enforced, POLITICO Europe's Douglas Busvine reports. The country had one of the strictest requirements in the democratic world, now dropped at the advice of an expert commission. WHAT WE'RE CLICKING POLITICO: Is Covid Over? No, But Global Health Funders Are Moving On The New Yorker: How Ecuador's largest city endured one of the world's most lethal outbreaks of Covid-19 Bloomberg: Moderna Readying for Next Pandemic With Human Tests of 15 Shots   DON'T MISS POLITICO'S INAUGURAL HEALTH CARE SUMMIT ON 3/31: Join POLITICO for a discussion with health care providers, policymakers, federal regulators, patient representatives, and industry leaders to better understand the latest policy and industry solutions in place as we enter year three of the pandemic. Panelists will discuss the latest proposals to overcome long-standing health care challenges in the U.S., such as expanding access to care, affordability, and prescription drug prices. REGISTER HERE.       Follow us

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