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In the Covid-19 pandemic, it seems that African countries have been largely spared from the devastating effects observed elsewhere. Working and living in Guinea-Bissau, one of the poorest and most fragile countries in the world located in West Africa, we wonder: How can the world know that there are only few Covid-19 cases in a country where the health system is weak and access to Covid-19 tests very limited? How can the world know that there is a low Covid-19 mortality in a country without a reliable civil registration and vital statistic system? In this article, we explore the (too) many unknowns of Covid-19 in Guinea-Bissau. The article was chosen as the 1st place winner of the 2020 Eye on Global Health Writing Competition.

During the last 12 months, COVID-19 became a global problem. Universities and drug companies are working together for the development of treatments. Vaccines appear to be one of the most promising treatments, and trials are completed, and others are ongoing. All these studies tend to use a common comparator, the percentage of vaccine efficacy (VE%), calculated using the following formula VE=(1-RR) x100. A recent study published in a renowned medical journal presented large trial results using a different formula VE=(1-OR) x100. We compared the analysis using relative risk (RR) versus an odds ratio (OR), and we did not find any large difference in the results. Nevertheless, we would advise using RR instead of OR in the interests of accuracy, for best practice.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all facets of human relations on a magnitude not witnessed in the post-World War II era. Due to the interdependence of countries in the international system, it is not surprising that the unfolding public health crisis has had significant ramifications for the functioning of the global economy as well. In responding to this global health crisis, and the associated fallouts, the academic community has a crucial role to play in finding solutions to the hydra-headed problems we all face. Driven by this sense of urgency and responsibility, AfronomicsLaw put out a call for contributions in April 2020 for a symposium issue focusing on COVID-19 and International Economic Law in the Global South. This Symposium will last for a full four weeks. This paper provides a broad summary of the 37 insightful essays accepted for the symposium issue. The essays have been grouped into four major themes: (1) International Trade and International Investment Law and Policy, (2) Intellectual Property, Technology and Agriculture, (3) Sovereign Debt, Finance and Competition Law, and (4) Governance, Rights and Institutions.

This event has been organised in collaboration with Prof R Dubakiene from Vilnius University and Prof I Šauliene from Šauliai Academy of Vilnius University DMUGlobal Allergy Friday: Sessions on International Allergy Research for DMU ABMS BIOM5015 Module Students Presentations and Activities Prepared by Dr R Furmonaviciene in Collaboration with Prof R Dubakiene and Prof I Sauliene from Vilnius University as well as with DMUGlobal and DMULocal Teams Session Activities also included Production of Allergy Information Cards for Local Community as part of ‘Sharing knowledge for re-building communities after the COVID-19 pandemic’ project

We are writing this openly-published letter to express deep concerns regarding the paper recently published in JAMA Network Open: Estimation of US Children’s Educational Attainment and Years of Life Lost Associated With Primary School Closures During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.28786The paper by Christakis, Van Cleve, and Zimmerman(2020,abbrev. CVZ) is built upon multiple critically flawed assumptions, obvious misuse of the standard analytical tools, and clear mistakes in study design. Additionally, the analysis presented contains crucial mathematical and statistical errors that completely revert the main results, sufficient that if the estimates had been calculated according to the declared methodology, the results would completely contradict the stated conclusions and policy recommendations. These are not idle criticisms. This study has received enormous public attention, and its results immediately appeared in discussions of public health policies around schools worldwide. The central question is resolving an evidence base for the inevitable tradeoff between (a) the very real harms of missed education provoked by policies that decrease viral spread vs. (b) the resumption of education as a social good which increases viral spread. This is an incredibly important public health question, and it demands careful cost-benefit analysis. To that end, this paper adds no usable evidence whatsoever.

Multidimensional poverty data and measurement are key allies in confronting the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Formulating an effective response to this global crisis requires an understanding of the overlapping deprivations faced by people in the developing world, deprivations that can result in increased vulnerability to COVID-19. The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) provides clear, immediate evidence of these interlinked deprivations, making interventions more effective, high impact, and durable. This briefing uses the global MPI database for 2019, which covers 101 countries and 5.7 billion people in the developing world, to show at a glance some surprising but critical facts for the COVID-19 response.