COVID-19 Vaccines: Why Temperature Limitations Affect Equity and Social Justice
In many poor and remote areas, there is no infrastructure to store vaccines at cold temperatures. Jan. 5, 2021
By Timothy Ford, Professor and Chair of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Charles M. Schweik, Professor of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst
To mitigate health inequities and promote social justice, coronavirus vaccines need to get to underserved populations and hard-to-reach communities.
There are few places in the US that are unreachable by road, but other factors many rural hospitals can’t afford ultralow-temperature freezers or might not have reliable electricity, for example present challenges. However, with government will and resources, these could be overcome.
This Virus Expert Detected the First Case of COVID-19 Outside of China
Why Global Citizens Should Care
The United Nations’ Global Goal 3 aims to ensure everyone, everywhere has access to good health and well-being. Early detection of potential outbreaks plays an essential role in ensuring public health. Join Global Citizen in taking action on this issue and more here.
When China reported the viral outbreak of COVID-19 in the city of Wuhan to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Dec. 31, 2019, the Thai government immediately sprung into action.
Thailand sees 11 million Chinese tourists every year, and the government was concerned about the novel coronavirus making its way across the border.
Meet the Doctor Coordinating Somaliland’s COVID-19 Response
Why Global Citizens Should Care
The United Nations’ Global Goal 3 aims to ensure everyone, everywhere has access to good health and well-being. This includes ensuring that countries with fragile health care systems are adequately equipped to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Join Global Citizen in taking action on this issue and more here.
When the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, health experts in Somaliland were concerned about their ability to control and respond to the virus, given the fragile health system in the self-declared republic.
“We don’t have enough equipment in the hospitals and enough ventilators and oxygen, so how can we respond to COVID-19?” Fatima Ismail, a doctor in the capital city of Hargeisa, told Global Citizen.