11 April 2022 - Although safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations are available, the pandemic is still far from over, and countries affected by conflict are in danger of being left behind, the UN Security Council heard on Monday. 

When COVID-19 hit, the closure of Cabo Verde’s borders to prevent the virus from spreading took a toll on people’s lives and livelihoods. Tourism suddenly stopped and many Cabo Verdeans lost their job. Thanks to a strong health system and a sound supply strategy, Cabo Verde became a model for COVID-19 response, with a lot to teach its neighbours on how to carry out vaccination campaigns. The World Bank responded to the crisis through several operations, at the beginning of the pandemic for $10 million, including credit line and social inclusion programmes.

30 March 2022 - A third of the world’s population has yet to receive a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including a shocking 83 per cent of all Africans, said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday.

Science in 5 is a video and podcast series reflecting WHO’s conversations in science. WHO experts explain the science related to COVID-19 in each 5 minute episode. Watch all episodes

In 2021, a deadly second wave of COVID-19 hit India hard, throwing medical facilities into turmoil as they struggled to meet the unprecedented spike in new cases. UNOPS worked with the government of Japan to bring life-saving equipment to vulnerable people in several parts of the country. 

With large sections of the population unvaccinated, new variants, like Omicron, are likely to keep emerging. These new variants spread like wildfire and put everyone at increased risk. To end this destructive cycle, the UN says we must vaccinate at least 70% of the population in every country. The UN's vaccine strategy is to achieve this goal by mid-2022. This will require at least 11 billion vaccine doses – but the task is doable.