COVID-19 Update: August 4, 2020

The World Health Organization states that the outbreak still constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. Undoubtedly, the risk of infection remains present. Countries that had eased restrictions because got coronavirus under control are tightening the measures as a result of increases in COVID-19 cases. And others less affected during the first months are now seeing escalating numbers.  
 
Medical researchers around the world are working hard to find a vaccine as soon as possible; it looks like the best solution to allow lockdowns to be lifted more safely, and social distancing to be relaxed.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 150 countries joined the Gavi’s COVAX Facility, a mechanism designed to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. Seventy-five countries, which would finance the vaccines from their own public finance budgets, partner with up to 90 lower-income countries that could be supported through voluntary donations to Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC).
 
On July 22, the COVID-19 Law Lab initiative was launched with the aim of gathering and sharing legal documents from over 190 countries across the world to help states establish and implement strong legal frameworks to manage the pandemic. This is a joint project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.
 
As many countries are reopening or have plans to reopen international travel, the WHO has published a document outlining key considerations for national health authorities when considering or implementing the gradual return to international travel operations. The gradual lifting of travel restrictions should be based on a thorough risk assessment, taking into account country context, the local epidemiology and transmission patterns, the national health and social measures to control the outbreak, and the capacities of health systems in both departure and destination countries, including at points of entry.
 
The Emergency Committee on COVID-19 held its fourth meeting on 31 July. The Committee “highlighted the anticipated lengthy duration of this COVID-19 pandemic, noting the importance of sustained community, national, regional, and global response efforts.” Several recommendations were made to both WHO and State Parties. WHO should continue to communicate lessons learned, coordinate global and regional multilateral organizations, partners and networks, and support State Parties and partners in conducting active and community-based COVID-19 surveillance, among others. To State Parties, some of the recommendations were enhancing capacity for public health surveillance, sharing timely information and data, and maintaining and preparing essential health services to cope with seasonal influenza, other concurrent disease outbreaks, and natural disasters.

On July 21, the FAO launched the Hand-in-Hand geospatial platform to help build stronger food and agriculture sectors post COVID-19. The platform has a large and rich set of data on food, agriculture, socioeconomics, and natural resources to help strengthen evidence-based decision-making in the food and agriculture sectors. "The Geospatial Platform serves as a digital public good to create interactive data maps, analyze trends and identify real-time gaps and opportunities," said FAO Director-General, Mr. QU Dongyu.

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) launched the volume “Recover Better: Economic and Social Challenges and Opportunities”, reflecting and furthering the discussions UN High-level Advisory Board (HLAB) on Economic and Social Affairs members have had on a wide range of development trends and issues of critical importance to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the recovery from COVID-19. The compilation provides outside-the-box thinking and new solutions to some of this era’s most pressing tests. Improving international tax cooperation, more equitable access to digital technological advances, and sustainable natural resource management are some of the issues included.

After the virtual meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held on July 18, Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), stated that “due to the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy faces a deep recession this year, with partial and uneven recovery expected in 2021.” She emphasized that supportive fiscal and monetary policies are essential until a safe and durable exit from the crisis can be assured.

Entering on July 22, the Government of New South Wales (NSW) established a strict new border zone, tightened permit conditions and stronger enforcement powers to further restrict entry to NSW from Victoria, as a result of record COVID-19 cases. All NSW residents are strongly urged not to travel to Victoria. In addition, from July 24, new rules were put in place for NSW business. Pubs, restaurants, bars, cafés and clubs must limit the group bookings to 10 people, have COVID-Safe plans and registration as a COVID-Safe business, and provide digital records of customer visits within 24 hours.
 
On August 2, Victoria declared ‘state of disaster’, imposing stricter lockdown measures, and Melbourne has moved into a “stage four” lockdown after recording 400-600 cases daily in the city over the past weeks. Nightly curfew has been introduced and virtually all trips outdoors have been banned. Only one person per household will be allowed to leave their homes once a day, outside of curfew hours (between 8 pm and 5 am) to pick up essential goods, and they must stay within a 5 kilometer radius of home. All new restrictions will be in effect for six weeks.
 
For the Australian almond industry it is important that beekeepers are able to cross borders during the pollination period. Therefore, the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management has recognized that the pollination services provided by bees are vital and the border restrictions should allow essential agricultural cross-border transport, including beehive movement.

China declared “wartime” state for Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, on July 17, after a spike in cases of coronavirus.
 
With the aim of reducing the risk of imported coronavirus cases amid increased international travel, China’s aviation authority said, on July 21, that passengers of China-bound flights must provide negative COVID-19 test results before boarding. Tests should be conducted at facilities designated or recognized by Chinese embassies in host countries and within five days before traveling.

The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission is conducting a survey to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on operators in the EU agri-food supply chains. The objective of the questionnaire is to better understand the resilience, constraints and responses of operators in the agri-food chain in order to contribute with the relevant evidence to EU policy making. The survey targets companies and businesses (including SMEs and farmers) active in the primary production, distribution, processing, wholesale or retail stages of the agri-food supply chain.
 
The European Institution of Innovation & Technology (EIT) announced the final list of initiatives that will be awarded €6.17 million of funding as part of the COVID-19 Rapid Response Call for Innovation projects. The Call, launched in May, was designed to fast-track product or service solutions that could have a significant and immediate impact to the challenges brought about by COVID-19 on the agri-food sector. This activity directly contributes to the European Union’s response to the pandemic and focuses on supporting three food system specific challenges that EIT Food is currently tackling: improved nutrition, supply chain disruption and food safety risks.
 
On July 17-18, EU leaders met in Brussels in order to discuss the long-term EU budget (2021-2027) that will help the EU to rebuild after the pandemic and will support investment in the green and digital transitions. EU leaders agreed to a comprehensive package of €1,824.3 billion which combines the multiannual financial framework (MFF) and an extraordinary recovery effort under the Next Generation EU (NGEU) instrument. The MFF (€1,074.3 billion) will be the main instrument for implementing the recovery package to tackle the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19. The NGEU (€750 billion) will provide the EU with the necessary means to address the challenges posed by the pandemic.
 
Continuing with the response to the pandemic, the European Council adopted, on July 24, a set of conclusions aimed at restoring passengers’ and workers' confidence by minimizing the risk of infection in cross-border collective passenger transport systems. Among the recommended measures are the physical distance (or the use of masks), the digital ticketing and digital ticket inspections, and the high standards of fresh air circulation and cleanliness.
 
Following a review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, as from 31 July member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries: Australia, Canada Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, and China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity.
 
As for the circulation of goods, taking into account that the difficulties to perform official controls and other official activities will persist, the EC has decided to extend, for the second time, the use of electronic documentation until October 1, 2020, through the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1087 of 23 July 2020, which prolongs the period of application of the Regulation (EU) 2020/466 of 30 March 2020.

Fearing a second COVID wave, Belgium’s National Security Council (CNS) decided to extend the obligations to wear masks and fill in a travel form for returning from vacation, and to postpone phase 5 of deconfinement.

Greece will receive around €72 billion as part of the recovery package agreed by the EU. This stimulus would be an opportunity to diversify the country’s economy and develop other sectors, such as green energy and new technologies.
 
From July 28, passengers from Bulgaria and Romania are obliged to provide proof of a negative PCR result for COVID-19 taken up to 72 hours before their entry to Greece.
 
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) “Greece has responded swiftly and effectively to the Covid-19 pandemic and has so far managed to contain the spread of infections, but the economy has been hit hard, adding to long-standing challenges”. The new OECD Economic Survey of Greece proposes a set of reforms to overcome the COVID-19 consequences while promoting a stronger and more inclusive growth.

Italy launched the Immuni contact-tracing app, designed to help manage the coronavirus crisis. As of now, the app has been downloaded about 4.3 million times –about 12% of people between 24 and 75. Mr. Domenico Arcuri, Special commissioner for the emergency, said that the app “did not reach the expected target”, which was fixed at 60% of the total population.

On July 18, Catalonia’s regional government asked people from Barcelona and its surrounding to “stay at home” for 15 days after resurgence in COVID-19 cases.
 
Madrid announced the obligation of wearing mask in all public spaces, even when social distancing measures are respected. The new rule, which was already introduced in all of Spain’s regions with the exception of the Canary Islands, came into effect on July 28.

The European Investment Bank Group and Banco Santander Consumer Portugal are joining forces to support Portuguese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps affected by the crisis. The two agreements will provide €587 million to inject liquidity and finance investments.

The UK periodically updates the list of countries and territories from where people can travel to England and may not have to self-isolate (“travel corridors”). Passengers have to self-isolate when they arrive in England, if they are travelling from one of the countries that is not on the exempt list. On July 26, Spain was removed from the list.
 
Growing evidence suggests that being obese or excessively overweight puts people at greater risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19. Public Health England (PHE) launched a new campaign to encourage people to live healthier lives and reduce the risk of serious illness, including COVID-19. 

According to a USDA GAIN Report released on July 17, the increase of cargo movement in Mumbai port continues, reaching a new record in rail volumes. In Chennai, there were no congestions or berthing delays, at the time of writing the report. According to the latest Port Situation Update, Mumbai expects to spur greater trade flows for the port in the medium- and long-term. Mundra, Mangalore and Kolkata ports are running normally, but movements continue to be slow in Kandla and Chennai.

The National Plant Protection Organisation of South Africa (NPPOZA) notified the World Trade Organization of the use of normal A4 printing paper while issuing phytosanitary certificates, which entered into force on July 13. Due to the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, NPPOZA will be temporarily issuing phytosanitary certificates, generated from the eCertification system, printed on normal A4 paper, and with the following features: QR code, 2X barcodes and coat of arms in color. Therefore, South Africa has now two types of certificate paper in international trade: the original paper with security features, and the A4 paper with QR and bar codes (until further notice).
 
The IMF approved South Africa’s request for emergency financial assistance of US$ 4.3 billion under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to meet the urgent balance of payment (BOP) needs stemming from the outbreak of the pandemic.
 
On July 31, the OECD published the Economic Survey of South Africa, highlighting that the country responded swiftly to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the sharp drop in activity adds to long-standing challenges and raises the urgency of structural reforms. As measurers to overcome the COVID-19 shock, OECD recommends lowering interest rates; providing temporary financial support to households and businesses; and extending financial relief in sectors hard hit by the crisis. 

 As part of a set of measures against the COVID-19 outbreak, Turkey suspended flights to Iran and Afghanistan.

The first large study of the safety and effectiveness of a coronavirus vaccine started on Monday 27, in the US. The study, a Phase 3 clinical trial, will enroll 30,000 healthy people at about 89 sites around the US this summer. The vaccine is being developed by Moderna partnered with the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NHI).
 
The California Governor announced, on July 24, support for workers to isolate and quarantine outside their home, new actions to increase outreach and education to slow the spread and reduce the risk for COVID-19, and new resources for employers to support a safe, clean environment for workers and customers. A new program, Housing for the Harvest, will provide safe, temporary isolation spaces for agricultural and farmworkers who test positive or were exposed to the virus. #WearAMask and #StoptheSpread campaigns will expand its reach to reduce risk for COVID-19 at work, at home, and in the community. In addition, a new Employer Playbook will guide California businesses on how to provide a clean environment for workers and customers to reduce risk.

After a few months without cases, Vietnam has closed Da Nang to tourists after four new coronavirus cases were recorded. No tourists can enter the city for 14 days and extra flights are being laid on to fly out up to 80,000 visitors.

This review summarizes recent scientific studies and existing recommendations from national and international nutrition agencies on an optimal diet, vitamin and mineral supplementation, and good hygiene practices for food preparation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Nutrients such as zinc and vitamins A, C and D have been mentioned by several nutrition guidelines to play a key role in optimizing the immune system. Adequate intakes of these micronutrients may be obtained by a daily diet that includes lean meat, fish, lentils and beans, dairy foods, nuts, seeds, eggs, citrus fruits and vegetables. Vitamin D can be also obtained through exposure of the skin to the sun.
 
On the other hand, unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) fatty acids are known for their favorable immune-modulatory action. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, present in walnuts, seafood, algal oil, marine fish and flaxseed may support the immune system, while omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acids found in olive, sunflower, and safflower oils and nuts may have antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiviral effects.
 
In their discussion of nutritional recommendations during COVID-19 quarantine, the role of tryptophan was highlighted in the regulation of satiety and caloric intake, suggesting protein-rich foods such as dairy, seeds and nuts as good sources.
 
The information above is a review of actions the INC has compiled from government sources, international organizations and press media. This news article is not intended to be exhaustive and it does not reflect the opinions of the INC. While the publishers believe that all information contained in this publication was correct at the time of publishing, they can accept no liability for any inaccuracies that may appear or loss suffered directly or indirectly by any reader as a result of any advertisement, editorial, photographs or other materials published in this news article.