This page brings together information and guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations regarding the current outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that was first reported in Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019. Please visit this page for daily updates. WHO is working closely with global experts, governments and partners to rapidly expand scientific knowledge on this new virus, to track the spread and virulence of the virus, and to provide advice to countries and individuals on measures to protect health and prevent the spread of this outbreak.
Coronavirus global health emergency: Coverage from UN News
COVID disrupts contraception services, leads to 1.4 million unintended pregnancies, says UNFPA
One year since COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic, the UN’s reproductive health agency said on Thursday that an estimated 12 million women have experienced disruptions to their family planning services.
UN launches ‘Only Together’ campaign to support global vaccine equity call
The United Nations on Thursday launched a new global campaign, Only Together, aiming to advance fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.
‘Some light at the end of the tunnel’ as pandemic turns one - Guterres
After 12 months where the world has faced “a tsunami of suffering”, the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines represents “some light at the end of the tunnel” said the UN chief on Thursday, marking the anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) issuing its pandemic alert.
Regression on ‘virtually every indicator’ of progress for children: UNICEF
One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, progress has gone backward across virtually every key measure of childhood, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday, revealing a “devastating and distorted new normal” for the world’s children.
Asia-Pacific: UN forum highlights central role of migrants in world’s most populous region
United Nations officials on Wednesday highlighted the contributions of migrants to economies and societies in Asia and the Pacific, calling on countries to ensure all who live within their borders are fully included in national coronavirus inoculation programmes.
One in three travel destinations still fully closed to international tourists: UN agency
Around a third of 217 world travel destinations surveyed remain completely closed to international tourists, as concerns grow over the impact of new coronavirus variants, and some governments reverse efforts to ease restrictions, according to a new report released by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Monday.
‘COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate, but societies do’, say women frontliners
Women doctors and scientists on the frontlines of the global battle against COVID-19 have revealed how the pandemic has exposed gender gaps in both access to healthcare and professional development in their fields.
‘They all died on the same day’: a Benin doctor on her fight against COVID-19
A doctor in Benin has been telling the UN about the challenging conversations she has had with the relatives of patients who have died from COVID-19, and how she has used her long medical experience to effectively lead a team of health care workers.
WHO calls for urgent action to ramp up production of COVID-19 vaccines for all
Urgent action is needed to increase production of COVID-19 vaccines that will be distributed through the global initiative making these medicines accessible by all countries, the UN’s top health official said on Friday.
Mental health alert for 332 million children linked to COVID-19 lockdown policies: UNICEF
The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says the mental health of millions of children worldwide has been put at risk, with at least one in seven forced to remain at home under nationwide public health orders – or recommendations – during the COVID-19 pandemic.