WHO
Gaza hospital during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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As 2020 draws to a close and people around the world try to figure out how the world has changed, they are faced with a stark and brutal statistic. The number of people who have died after catching the virus is approaching the two million mark.
ONU Info / Jing Zhang
Passengers wearing face masks and disposable ponchos get their passports checked at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
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At the start of the year, international travel was severely restricted, and people like these travelers to Thailand learned about the importance of PPE, an acronym that quickly entered the global lexicon (short for personal protective equipment). .
Photo UNDP China
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in China has delivered crucial medical supplies to the Chinese government.
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Soon there were concerns of a global PPE shortage and the UN has supported various countries in purchasing supplies, including China where the virus first emerged.
Photo ONU Info/Daniel Dickinson
A dentist’s office in Brooklyn, New York, displays a grim reminder of the changes brought on by the coronavirus.
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As Covid-19 has taken hold, countries and cities around the world have taken containment measures with the closure of schools, cultural and sporting sites and all non-essential businesses.
World Bank / Sambrian Mbaabu
Downtown Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, during the Covid-19 pandemic
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Normally bustling city centers, like the Kenyan capital Nairobi, were eerily quiet as people stayed at home.
Photo ONU / Eskinder Debebe
Delegates in the United Nations General Assembly Hall observe physical distancing rules due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The United Nations continued to work around the world, although most of the key events, such as the annual meeting of the new session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, looked very different. Only a small number of delegates were allowed into the Great Hall as world leaders delivered their speeches virtually.
MFD/Elyas Alwazir
Physical distancing in Yemen to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
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All over the world, people have adapted to the new social distancing guidelines …
PNUD Bangladesh/Fahad Kaizer
In Bangladesh, community workers raise awareness about coronavirus prevention and distribute hygiene kits to the poorest urban households
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… And were reminded of the importance of hand washing as a means of reducing disease transmission.
© UNICEF/Alissa Everett
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Students who could not attend school had to adjust to a new reality and find ways to continue their education.
PAM / Damilola Onafuwa
Women in Nigeria collect food stamps as part of a support program for families in difficulty due to containment due to Covid-19.
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While Africa appeared to suffer less from the virus than other continents, at least in terms of absolute infections and deaths, the UN has expressed concern that the pandemic could plunge millions more into the world. poverty.
Photo OIM / Nate Webb
Health workers work tirelessly to help Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
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Support for refugees and other vulnerable displaced people around the world has been a particularly important issue for the UN, for example the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from Myanmar who have found refuge across the border in Bangladesh. .
Photo University of Oxford / John Cairns
The coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford has shown its effectiveness.
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Progress has been made, in record time, by scientists developing new effective vaccines against Covid-19 and by the end of 2020 the first people, mainly in developed countries, have been vaccinated.
BioNTech
An efficacy rate greater than 90% has been reported by Pfizer and BioNTech for a vaccine against Covid-19.
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As the world prepares to enter 2021, the pandemic is still raging and, after an apparent mid-year lull in many countries, more infections and deaths are being reported. With the deployment of more vaccines, the international community is urged to work together to stop the spread and follow scientific guidelines.
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