Several countries in Asia and Europe, where the COVID-19 outbreak appears to have peaked, are gradually reopening their economies. Without a vaccine or effective treatment, policymakers will be balancing the benefits of resuming economic activity against the potential cost of another increase in infection rates. They face difficult choices, in part, because the costs of erring in either direction could be very large. Given this, authorities are adopting a gradual and sequenced approach to reopening, along with the adoption of further prevention and containment measures. 

Without vaccines, we are at risk of serious illness and disability from diseases like measles, meningitis, tetanus and polio. In today' interconnected world, infectious diseases easily cross borders, infecting anyone who is not vaccinated. Get vaccinated on time, every time.

UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP and the World Bank have issued guidelines on the safe reopening of schools amidst ongoing closures affecting nearly 1.3 billion students worldwide. The guidelines caution that the widespread closures of educational facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic present an unprecedented risk to children’s education and wellbeing, particularly for the most marginalized children who rely on school for their education, health, safety and nutrition. The guidelines offer practical advice for national and local authorities on how to keep children safe when they return to school.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo’s Pata Pata, is a fresh take on Miriam Makeba’s 1967 hit song. Once called the “world’s most defiantly joyful song”, Pata Pata has been re-recorded by Kidjo to spread information about COVID-19, with a focus on hundreds of millions of people in remote communities around the world. UNICEF put out a call to the global public, asking people to submit videos of themselves dancing to the song in their homes and gardens, while observing various COVID-19 lockdown, containment and curfew rules. The response was overwhelming.

Impact of COVID-19 epidemic hits Indonesia’s small seaweed processors

How radio is lending Malawi’s farmers a hand in the fight against COVID-19

While schools are reopening in some corners of the world after pandemic-induced closures, the United Nations and its partners are helping children continue their learning through all possible means, including the Internet, radio and television. Among those efforts, UNESCO has issued a call to support learning and knowledge-sharing through open educational resources – materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or under an open license that permits no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others.

From misinformation about the use of disinfectants to combat the coronavirus, to false claims that the virus can spread through radio waves and mobile networks, unreliable information is hurting the global effort to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.  By dispelling rumours, fake news, and messages of hate and division, the United Nations is working to spread accurate information. To rally forces behind this effort, the UN is launching a new COVID-19 Communications Response Initiative based on science, solutions and solidarity to fight misinformation.

As the coronavirus pandemic has halted the travel industry, the United Nations works to cushion the economic impact of COVID-19 on small island developing States, which continue reeling from climate-related challenges. The sudden downturn in travel has left island economies heavily reliant on foreign visitors very worried about their finances. UNICEF, among other UN entities, supports the government responses in Vanuatu, Fiji and Solomon Islands to reach children most in need, while facing the additional demands of the ongoing preparedness and response efforts for COVID-19.

The United Nations works around the clock to prevent the pandemic from wreaking havoc on refugees, migrants and other vulnerable populations already facing humanitarian crises.  In cramped camp settings, measures to avoid community transmission such as physical distancing and frequent handwashing, are difficult to implement. To prepare for a potential outbreak of the coronavirus in the camps, UNHCR and partners have started constructing isolation and treatment facilities. Refugees and internally displaced people themselves are also responding to the looming threat of COVID-19.

As the world plans for a post-pandemic recovery, the United Nations calls Governments to seize the opportunity to “build back better” by creating more sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies. The UN is devising a blueprint for a healthier planet and society that leaves no one behind and actions are being taken to ensure a more resilient future. Secretary-General António Guterres proposed six climate-related actions to shape the recovery. While UNEP works closely to build scientific knowledge on links between ecosystem stability and human health.

Youth in Nairobi slum use murals to educate the community about COVID-19

New health training facilities for aspiring midwives are helping Ghana build a future where better healthcare can be a reality for all its people.

Since the onset of the pandemic, WHO has been central the global response to the pandemic: by speeding up research and development, helping countries with their national plans, providing response supplies, as well as helping people protect themselves and others.

Radiation is an effective and established tool to sterilize personal protective equipment (PPE) that is in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, except for respiratory face masks as it weakens their filters, according to the UN atomic energy agency (IAEA). The IAEA reviewed findings from five institutions that tested the use of ionizing radiation to sterilize gear. Shortages in protective equipment for staff on the frontline continue to pose a problem in many countries.