Inside the overcrowded Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital in the capital New Delhi, COVID-19 patients have to share a bed during treatment. Photo: AFP

Every day COVID-19 claims an estimated 12,000 lives. So far, the global death toll from coronavirus is more than 3.4 million, equal to the population of many major cities. According to data released by the International Labor Organization last month, 7,000 health workers have died and 136 million healthcare and social workers are at risk of contracting COVID-19 while working.

Pressure on health system

The pandemic has ravaged the world for more than a year, leaving the healthcare systems in many countries overwhelmed and exhausted. Although immunization programs are taking place worldwide, uneven progress is being made. It is not uncommon in India for COVID-19 patients to share a hospital bed and hospitals have turned away patients because of a lack of beds or ventilators. Weak medical infrastructure plus a sudden spike of patients has overwhelmed India’s health sector. 

In Brazil, which ranks third in infection cases and deaths, there is widespread overcrowding in intensive care units. A shortage of hospital beds has forced medical staff to turn ordinary beds into intensive care beds to treat severely ill patients. Many patients are intubated without anesthetics. The National Health Secretary said that about one fifth of Brazil’s cities are at risk of running out of oxygen. Doctors have not had to work in such poor conditions in decades.

A COVID-19 testing site in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photo: AFP/VNA

With COVID-19 cases increasing sharply, hospitals in many countries are struggling to provide sufficient oxygen to patients. Another big concern is pressure and risks that healthcare workers face is starting to affect their mental health. Globally, one in five healthcare workers are showing symptoms of depression or anxiety.

Collaborative efforts to address crisis

A positive side of the crisis is that many countries say they are willing to share and support others. Dozens of countries have rushed to provide emergency supplies to help India combat the new COVID-19 wave. Hundreds of oxygen concentrators, breathing masks, and a large amount of liquid oxygen have helped ease the critical situation in India.

The World Trade Organization is discussing the waiving of COVID-19 vaccine patent to promote the supply of vaccines to developing countries. Germany initiated a new Global Center that brings together government agencies, academic institutions and the private sector to harness global data for forecasting and responding to epidemic risks. 

Researchers are constantly coming up with tests that bring hope to humanity. On Monday, France’s pharmaceutical group Sanofi and Britain’s company GSK announced that the COVID-19 vaccine they are jointly developing has generated a strong immune response in initial trials. Experts from the Menzies Health Institute at Australia’s Griffith University say they have found a new method that can kill 99.9% of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a patient's lungs and this could become one of the most effective ways to cure the disease.