(September 01, 2020) –
A report released today by international aid agency, World Vision, reveals 80% of people surveyed in seven countries say their country won’t be able to return to normal life until COVID-19 is under control everywhere. The majority of those interviewed by World Vision in Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, and the UK, believe that repeated outbreaks in other countries put their own nations at risk.
Aftershocks: Deadly Waves also warns that 1.56 million people are at risk of dying in a deadlier second wave of COVID-19 if governments do not do everything they can to prepare and protect everyone globally. World Vision is recommending that Canada, along with other governments, invest in robust testing and tracing to avoid extended lockdowns, which can be harmful in wealthy countries and impossible in poorer countries. The NGO is also calling for all countries and contexts, particularly those most fragile, to be equipped with appropriate resources to ensure that vaccines, when available, can be safely and comprehensively distributed.
“As Canadians, we all have a responsibility to help the world’s most vulnerable people fight this pandemic, otherwise the consequences will be deadly for millions of people, particularly children,” said Lindsay Gladding, Director, Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs, World Vision Canada. “Even as we get cases under control and ease the lockdown in Canada, we could face waves of COVID-19 due to outbreaks in places that aren’t currently equipped to stop the spread. Our latest research is clear; people want governments to lift their eyes above their own national interests and ensure the most vulnerable in the world are cared for. Those in power must act and think globally.”
If the virus continues to thrive in fragile countries, it will pose a perpetual health and economic threat to both the world’s poorest people and the richest, World Vision’s new report finds. It warns that just like countries devastated by illnesses like AIDS or Ebola, many poorer countries will inevitably require massive investment to address the social and economic fallout from COVID-19.
World Vision commissioned the report to explore how Canadians and citizens in other countries are feeling about the pandemic through a global lens, and to learn more about Canadian sentiment towards an increased Government of Canada role in the global pandemic response.
The Aftershocks report series has highlighted the clear and present danger posed to children by COVID-19: violence, secondary health impacts, devastating loss of family income and more.
- 61% of people surveyed in seven countries want their governments to invest in the global fight against COVID-19
- Multiple, potentially deadlier, waves of COVID-19 could continue to threaten millions of lives if leaders fail to prioritize vulnerable people everywhere
- If COVID-19 deaths mirror the 1918 influenza pandemic, more than 1.56 million people globally may die after a second wave, with potentially millions more dying from secondary health impacts caused by the pandemic
MEDIA RESOURCES
"Aftershocks: Deadly Waves" report:
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Story resources (photos and videos) related to World Vision’s COVID-19 response
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