Name-Ezikeoha Doris Chidinma 
Matric Nō- 18/sms09/042



The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time and the greatest challenge we have faced since World War Two. Since its emergence in Asia late last year, the virus has spread to every continent except Antarctica. Cases are rising daily in Africa the Americas, and Europe.
Countries are racing to slow the spread of the virus by testing and treating patients, carrying out contact tracing, limiting travel, quarantining citizens, and cancelling large gatherings such as sporting events, concerts, and schools.
The pandemic is moving like a wave—one that may yet crash on those least able to cope.
But COVID-19 is much more than a health crisis. By stressing every one of the countries it touches, it has the potential to create devastating social, economic and political crises that will leave deep scars.
We are in uncharted territory. Many of our communities are now unrecognizable. Dozens of the world’s greatest cities are deserted as people stay indoors, either by choice or by government order. Across the world, shops, theatres, restaurants and bars are closing.
Every day, people are losing jobs and income, with no way of knowing when normality will return. Small island nations, heavily dependent on tourism, have empty hotels and deserted beaches. The International Labour Organization estimates that 195 million jobs could be lost.
 
UNDP RESPONSE 
Every country needs to act immediately to prepare, respond, and recover. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has launched a US$2 billion global humanitarian response plan in the most vulnerable. Developing countries could lose at least US$220 billion in income, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has called for 2.5 trillion US dollars to support them.
Drawing on their experience with other outbreaks such as Ebola, HIV, SARS, TB and malaria, as well as their long history of working with the private and public sector, UNDP will help countries to urgently and effectively response to COVID-19 as part of its mission to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and build resilience to crises and shocks.
They have been supporting countries since the very early stages of this crisis, donating more than two million surgical masks and providing life supporting medical equipment such as X-ray machines, infrared thermometers, infusion pumps, protective suits, gloves and hand sanitizer. They are supporting health systems in countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Djibouti, El Salvador, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Nigeria, Paraguay, Panama and Ukraine.
 
In China they launched a social media campaign to spread information about COVID-19 amongst vulnerable communities such as the elderly and other disadvantaged people in 40 different minority languages.
In Lebanon they are supporting the government as it develops a Disaster Risk Management Plan. And in Vietnam they are working with the government to communicate with ethnic minorities and those with disabilities, with a focus on the rural areas on China’s border. Working with WhatsApp, WHO and UNICEF they have created an information hub that will get real time healthcare to billions around the world.
They have also teamed up with AMV, one of the world’s largest advertising agencies, and actor, writer and comedian Stephen Fry for the Tweet Zero campaign, which highlights the simple actions that can keep you safe; such as frequent hand washing, staying home when sick and not touching your face.
Partnering with the European Union in Serbia they have begun delivering and distributing vital medical supplies such respirators, protective equipment and diagnostic tests.
In the Arab states they are working with governments and citizens to deliver essential services, and fight misinformation.
It will require all of society to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to cushion the potentially devastating impact it may have on vulnerable people and economies.
UNDP’s support will also help ensure that the responses of individual countries are comprehensive as well as equitable and inclusive, so that no one is left out and countries can continue to make progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. 
While they do this, they must also consider ways to prevent a similar pandemic recurring. In the longer term, UNDP will look at ways to help countries to better prevent and manage such crises and ensure that the world makes full use of what we will learn from this one.

UNICEF RESPONSE 
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow, UNICEF is procuring and shipping vital supplies, including desperately required personal protective equipment (PPE), to countries affected.
UNICEF is engaged with approximately 1,000 suppliers and industry leaders across the world, to find a solution to current market constraints. Despite the extreme market conditions, including aggressive buying and emerging export restrictions, UNICEF has managed to secure availability from April to June from suppliers for key products, such as 26.9 million surgical masks, 4.8 million respirators, 6 million coveralls, 7.1 million surgical gowns, 1.5 million goggles and 29,000 infrared thermometers.
“While the speed and scale of the outbreak are posing countless challenges, we continue employing every effort to ensure that UNICEF supplies reach those in need as quickly as possible,” said Etleva Kadilli, UNICEF’s Director of Supply Division in Copenhagen. “Protecting healthcare workers remains a top priority. These are the heroes on the frontline who continue tirelessly providing care and support to children and families affected in this unprecedented global crisis.”
Since the start of the outbreak, UNICEF has shipped more than 4.27 million gloves, 573,300 surgical masks, 98,931 N95 respirators, 156,557 gowns and 12,750 goggles in support of countries as they respond to the pandemic.
Recent shipments have included:
	•			UNICEF has delivered around US$3 million worth of hospital equipment and personal protective equipment to Hubei Province and other regions in China to aid the Government response there to COVID-19. Supplies included defibrillators, electrocardiogram monitors, portable ultrasound systems, infusion pumps, N95 masks, gowns goggles, protective suits and gloves.
	•			Since 1 March, three shipments – weighing around 8 metric tons - of PPE supplies have successfully arrived in Tehran, Iran. Supplies have been distributed to hospitals and health facilities in six most affected provinces, with 18.5 tons of PPE items expected to arrive in the country over the coming days.
	•			This week, UNICEF successfully shipped 14 metric tons of PPE items to Pakistan to protect frontline health workers including 114,300 surgical masks, 12,681 gowns and 449,868 gloves. 
Other shipments in the pipeline include PPE to D.P.R of Korea, Eritrea, Indonesia, Palestine and Venezuela and oxygen concentrators to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Despite Europe being one of the regions hardest hit by COVID-19, UNICEF’s Supply Division in Copenhagen, the largest humanitarian warehouse in the world, remains fully operational: the warehouse operates with shifts 7 days a week and continues to produce kits including supplies for health, water, hygiene and sanitation, early childhood development and education. Teams across the division are working hard to increase access to COVID-19 supplies while continuing to support other ongoing programme operations and respond to emergencies including in Yemen, Syria and DRC.
The speed and scale of how the outbreak is spreading around the world are increasing pressure on markets and bringing unprecedented challenges to UNICEF supply operations.
Increased restrictions on international transport are having an unprecedented impact on freight operations globally – disrupting supply chains and causing bottlenecks, delays and higher costs in the delivery of lifesaving supplies for humanitarian and development programmes.
To address these challenges, UNICEF is reviewing global cargo aircraft capacity and coverage and is working with our offices around the world, freight forwarders and partner organisations to prioritise shipments and arrange charter operations as required for delivery of emergency and critical supplies.
UNICEF has also taken preventive measures by decentralising some of its critical stocks, moving supplies including Emergency Kits and other essential relief supplies from Copenhagen to the hubs in Dubai, Panama, and Accra, with similar arrangements being organised for the Eastern and Southern Africa region.
On Wednesday March 25th , UNICEF launched an appeal for US$651.6 million to support its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

OXFAM RESPONSE 
Oxfam has substantial expertise in public health work and our preparedness planning for COVID-19 is informed by lessons from past disease outbreaks including Zika and Ebola. We are working now to support our program teams across more than 65 countries on how best to respond operationally to COVID-19 among the millions of people we support.
We’re already helping people to minimize the risk of infection by providing them with accurate information and advice in local languages. Our teams are increasing the delivery of soap, sanitation services including handwashing facilities, and clean water especially to people in higher-risk environments such as refugee camps or crowded urban areas.
Oxfam has a comprehensive COVID-19 Staff Health protocol and has socialized best practice procedures for all our staff to follow in hygiene and infection management, including travel restrictions, self-isolation advice and contingency planning in the event of office closures.
Given that our programs are predominately led, managed and staffed by national staff, and because we hold reserves and procure our goods and services locally where possible, we are hoping to minimize disruptions. However, we are certainly expecting that our operations will be increasingly affected.

UN/WHO RESPONSE
On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China.
On 7 January 2020, the Chinese authorities confirmed that they have identified a new virus: a corona (CoV), temporarily named “2019-nCoV.” Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. The novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
On 11 March 2020, WHO declared the Coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

•	On 1 January 2020, WHO set up the Incident Management Support Team for dealing with the disease outbreak on an emergency basis.
	•	On January 5, 2020, WHO notified all member states about the new outbreak of an unknown pneumonia virus in Hubei province of China.
	•	On 10 January, WHO issued a comprehensive package of guidance to countries on how to test for potential cases.
	•	On 12 January, China shared the genetic sequence of the new virus with the WHO.
	•	On 13 January, WHO confirmed the first case of the disease outside of China, in Thailand.
	•	On 14 January, Maria Van of the WHO told in a press briefing that "it is possible that there is limited human-to-human transmission, potentially among families, but it is very clear right now that we have no sustained human-to-human transmission"
	•	On 22 January, WHO issued a statement confirming human to human transmission of the virus and warranted more investigation into this phenomenon.
	•	On 22 January, an emergency committee was convened to assess whether the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of international concern. The committee could not reach a consensus.
	•	On 30 January, the emergency committee reconvened, and advised that the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of International Concern 
    •  On 12 February, a Research and Innovation Forum was convened by the WHO, which included researchers and funders, to fund priority research for stopping the outbreak and preventing future outbreaks.
	•	From 16-24 February, the WHO-China Joint Mission traveled to China and created a report about the evolution of the outbreak in China.
•	On 3 March 2020, WHO released a Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to help protect those countries with weaker health systems. 
	•	On 11 March, WHO confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 as a pandemic.
	•	On 13 March, WHO launched COVID-19 solidarity response fund to support their work in containing the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic.
	•	On 18 March, WHO launched solidarity trial an international clinical trial to find an effective treatment for coronavirus disease.
  •	By 7 April the WHO had accepted two diagnostic tests for procurement under the Emergency Use Listing procedure (EUL) for use during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to increase access to quality-assured, accurate tests for the disease. Both
In vitro diagnostics, the tests are genesig Real-Time PCR Coronavirus (COVID-19) manufactured by Primerdesign , and cobas SARS-CoV-2 Qualitative assay for use on the cobas 6800/8800 Systems by Roche Molecular Systems . These tests can also be supplied by the United Nations  and other procurement agencies supporting the COVID-19 response.
	•	9 April marks the 100th day since WHO was notified of the first cases of 'pneumonia of unknown cause' in China. The Director General told that WHO will release an updated strategy for fighting the pandemic. The WHO launched the UN COVID-19 supply chain task force to scale up the supply of life saving products for COVID-19.

 
IOM  RESPONSE 
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) works with governments and partners to ensure that migrants, whether in regular or irregular situations, returnees and forcibly displaced persons are included in efforts to mitigate and combat the illness’s impact. Although they face the same health threats from COVID-19 as host populations, they may face particular vulnerabilities due to the circumstances of their journey and poor living and working conditions. Too often, they encounter obstacles in accessing health services, such as language and cultural barriers, fees they cannot afford, a lack of inclusive health policies, and fear of arrest or deportation. Legal, regulatory and practical barriers to accessing health care all play a part in this, as does, in o many instances, prejudice. Displaced populations in camps or camp-like settings, and those caught in conflict, are also highly vulnerable given limited access to services and poor access to knowledge on how to protect themselves. This unequal access to services places them and everyone else at risk.
With the economic slow-down and possible recession, migrants will remain among the most vulnerable population groups to be economically affected and at risk of stigmatization and exclusion. This is particularly dire given that their employment often supports families left behind and contribute to poverty reduction, access to basic services and education worldwide.

Highlight of the IOM’s assistance till date 

In Bangladesh, IOM is working with the government on setting up two isolation and treatment centres in Cox’s Bazar with a capacity of 200 beds, while four IOM-managed Primary Health Centres were identified to serve as isolation units for suspected COVID-19 cases in the camps. IOM has also designated two ambulances to support the referral of COVID-19 cases from triage centres to quarantine/isolation facilities. Additionally, IOM has completed the door- to- door distribution of over 60,000 key items for handwashing and disinfection and installed 142 hand washing stations in communal locations in Cox’s Bazaar to help improve sanitation and prevent the spread of the disease.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Panama, IOM is providing technical assistance to the government for the effective implementation of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Migration Reception Stations at the border in Darien Province, where food, hygiene items and masks have been distributed to vulnerable populations. Risk communication messages on hygiene and measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have also been shared with migrant populations in the country.
IOM’s Coordination Office for the Mediterranean has produced an information leaflet on COVID-19, which has been translated into 32 languages. The leaflet has been disseminated to Italy’s largest migrant communities to inform them about the risk and the spread of the disease. IOM is organizing remote training sessions related to Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in more than 10 reception centres in the province of Rome. IOM is also working to ensure that awareness raising is reaching migrant communities in Italy, and has been engaging local health authorities, municipalities and migrants’ organizations in order to better tailor the information to suit the audience.
In Tunisia, IOM’s advocacy successfully resulted in the inclusion of migrants in the national COVID-19 response, including the establishment of a multilingual hotline for migrants to access information, the provision of free testing for migrants, and the provision of other relevant services such as psychosocial support. IOM has also begun tracking information on stranded migrants in the country whose situation is being exacerbated by COVID-19.
In Nigeria, IOM is supporting the overall COVID-19 preparedness and response measures in 80 camps and camp-like settings through the improvement of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, including 129 new handwashing stations, and the provision of services, contributing to minimizing the risk of spread and transmission of the disease. In addition, IOM has trained hygiene promotion volunteers on the identification of signs and symptoms of COVID-19, including methods of referral.
In Uganda, IOM is providing support to the government on active health screening, referrals, and data collection at critical Points of Entry (PoE). IOM has also supported surveillance activities through the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), hygiene items and logistical support for contact tracing of people who have come in contact with COVID-19 patients.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, IOM has started the process of national population mobility mapping and contingency planning for displacement sites, alongside POE stakeholders and under the leadership of the National Program of Hygiene at Borders (PNHF). IOM is also assisting the Ministry of Health in North Kivu to support 14-day surveillance and follow-up.
In Ukraine, IOM handed over the first tranche of urgently needed personal protection equipment (PPEs), as well as disinfection equipment and liquids to the government border authorities. Sprayers, disposable protective masks, protective gloves, glasses and suits are now being used at the main POEs in the country.
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