News in brief

UNITED STATES

US officially notifies WHO of its withdrawal The move is widely condemned as COVID-19 continues to rage around the planet. The US administration has formally notified the World Health Organization of its withdrawal from the UN body despite widespread criticism. When he flagged the move in late May, President Trump, accused WHO of helping the Chinese government in a cover up in the early stages of the coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan. TheNew York Times said this accusation was baseless. “There is no evidence that the WHO or the government in Beijing hid the extent of the epidemic in China, and public health experts generally view Mr Trump’s charges as a way to deflect attention from his administration’s own bungled attempts to respond to the virus’s spread in the United States,” it said. “In fact, the agency issued its first alarm on Jan 4, just five days after the local health department of Wuhan announced a cluster of 27 cases of an unusual pneumonia at a local seafood market. The WHO followed up with a detailed report the next day.” Public health experts in the United States reacted to the move to withdraw from WHO with dismay. “Turning our back on the WHO makes us and the world less safe,” said Dr Thomas Frieden, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Infectious Diseases Society of America “stands strongly against President Trump’s decision,” said its president, Dr Thomas M. File. ‘Turning our back on the WHO makes us and the world less safe.’

WORLD

Many more men are dying from COVID-19 than women In many countries, male fatalities are twice those of women. In Italy and China, deaths of men due to COVID-19 are more than double those of women. In New York City, men constitute about 61 per cent of patients who die. Australia is showing signs of similar results. Clearly, the major variable in severity of COVID-19 is age. But experts say the other major factor is the presence of chronic diseases, particularly heart disease, diabetes and cancer. These are all more common in men than women, which might account for some of the bias. Writing in The Conversation, Jenny Graves, Professor of Genetics at La Trobe University, says “the sex bias in COVID-19 deaths is part of a much larger picture – and a very much older picture – of sex differences in genes, chromosomes and hormones that lead to very different responses to all sorts of disease, including COVID-19”. “We’ve known for a long time that women have a stronger immune system than men. It gives women an advantage when it comes to susceptibility to viruses.” In China, the marked differences in death rates between men and women mirrors the extreme differences in smoking rate. Almost half of Chinese men smoke compared with only 2 per cent of women. Not only is smoking a severe risk factor for any respiratory disease, but it also causes lung cancer, a further risk factor. ‘We’ve known for a long time that women have a stronger immune system than men.’

NEW ZEALAND

NZ aged care nurses campaign for pay parity Nearly 14,000 New Zealanders have signed a petition calling for an end to the pay disparity between the country’s registered nurses who work in aged care and their counterparts in public hospitals. “Registered nurses who work in aged care in New Zealand earn on average at least $10,000 a year less than nurses who work in public hospitals,” says the petition to Dr David Clark, New Zealand’s Minister of Health. “That’s not because they are any less skilled or important, but because of years of underfunding of rest homes by successive governments and undervaluing of the care of older people.” There are more than 5000 aged care registered nurses in New Zealand. The push for better pay comes as the skill and leadership of the country’s aged care nurses have been credited as an important reason for New Zealand’s low fatality rate from COVID-19. Only 21 people have died from COVID-19 in New Zealand. Most of the deaths were concentrated in two aged care facilities. The overwhelming majority of homes had no casualties. Experts say that staffing issues were an important factor in the facilities that experienced outbreaks and low staffing levels must be an important part of any review into coronavirus outbreaks in New Zealand rest homes. “Quality care requires more staff and more time. Higher staffing ratios will also provide more room for flexibility when crises occur,” said Dr Katherine Ravenswood, from Auckland University of Technology. ‘Quality care requires more staff and more time.’

AUSTRALIA

The Australian public’s regard for unions is rising A poll finds a majority of people think Australia would be better off if unions were stronger. The poll, conducted by Essential for The Guardian found that 50 per cent of Australians indicated we would be better off with strong unions. Only 25 per cent disagreed. This is a marked increase in the positive perception of unions since the early 2010s when support was less than 40 per cent. The poll also found that: • 74 per cent of respondents agreed that unions provide essential services to their members to ensure they are paid appropriately and have safe working environments • 74 per cent agreed that unions give workers more power with employers through a collective voice • 67 per cent agreed unions are vital to stop businesses taking advantage of their employees. Sally McManus, ACTU Secretary, said the research shows that Australians know “who has their back”. “Unionised workers have steered the country through this pandemic and will continue to play a leading role in the economic rebuild,” she said. “Pay cuts and cuts to workers’ rights will not help Australia recover. We are working to win more secure jobs and fairer wages.” The poll came as the Australian Bureau of Statistics released new figures showing unemployment climbing to nearly 1 million people; 227,000 jobs were lost between April and May. ‘Unionised workers have steered the country through this pandemic and will continue to play a leading role in the economic rebuild.’ — Sally McManus, ACTU Secretary

AUSTRALIA

GDP will fall by 25 per cent without climate action A failure to act urgently on climate change will have dire economic consequences according to a report commissioned by 60 of the world’s central banks, including the Reserve Bank of Australia. The report warns that global GDP could fall by 25 per cent by 2100 if the world does not act to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. It outlines three different scenarios to guide bankers and financial regulators when assessing the climate risks to the economy and financial sector: • An “orderly scenario” where climate policies would be introduced soon and gradually tightened, limiting the risk of physical damage and the impact of the transition to low emissions. It would be expected to lead to a “relatively small” economic impact of about 4 per cent of global GDP by 2100. • A “disorderly” scenario where climate policies would not be introduced until 2030, and the emissions reductions needed would be more abrupt. It would lead to a nearly 10 per cent reduction in global GDP. • A third scenario, described as a “hot house” world, where action to deal with the climate crisis would be limited to current policies only. The report estimated that the physical damage caused under this scenario could wipe out up to a quarter of annual global GDP by the end of the century. Frank Elderson from the Netherlands’ central bank said the report was important as “climate change leads to financial risks and therefore remains a vital issue for central banks and supervisors to address”.

Read the report https://www.ngfs.net/en/communique-de-presse/

AUSTRALIA

HESTA divests from coal The industry super fund for health workers has announced a new climate policy that commits to net zero emissions across its investment portfolio by 2050. HESTA says its climate plan will reduce absolute carbon emissions across its investment portfolio by 33 per cent within the decade and 100 per cent by 2050. This would bring its investment strategy in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. “Climate change is probably the single most important issue that we’ll be facing over the next century and really, for us, it’s so important because it’s a material financial risk for our portfolio,” said HESTA chief executive ,Debby Blakey. “We are the generation that needs to address this and we really do need an urgent response.” HESTA has faced criticism in the past for retaining investments in companies like Coal India, one of the largest coal producers in the world. HESTA’s new climate policy will apply to all thermal coal companies, including Coal India as well as its holding in Whitehaven Coal, a company running four coal mines in NSW and Queensland. “We have a view that thermal coal is in structural decline and we are concerned about stranded assets,” Ms Blakey said. “This idea that coal can continue to provide base load energy in the long term is really inconsistent with what’s needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.” ‘Climate change … is a material financial risk for our portfolio.’ — Debby Blakey, HESTA chief executive

AUSTRALIA

Pacific Island economies face collapse over COVID-19 The Pacific region is almost COVID-19-free but economies have been devastated. Strict border closures have devastated tourism, a crucial revenue earner and restricted much-needed imported foods in Pacific Island states. “COVID-19 is clearly the job-killer of the century,” Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said. “You can’t suddenly work from home when you earn your pay cheque as a scuba instructor, or in a garment factory dependent on regional supply chains, or as a handicraft maker who usually sells to tourists.” Cook Islands Deputy Prime Minister Mark Brown said the pandemic lockdowns were an “economic tsunami”. Tourism makes up 65 per cent of the islands’ economic activity. A report published by the Hawaii Journal of Health and Social Welfare, says some measures taken to fight Covid-19 are likely to increase the long-term risk of non-communicable diseases common across the Pacific, such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. “For example, trade and movement restrictions within and between countries has reduced availability and accessibility to healthier foods, and increased reliance on unhealthy processed foods,” the report said. “In addition, there is potential for individuals becoming less physically active as a result of curfews and restricted movement; abuse of tobacco and alcohol while being isolated at home; and an increase in domestic violence.” Small Pacific Island states typically produce less than 65 per cent of their country’s dietary energy supply domestically. ‘COVID-19 is clearly the job-killer of the century.’ — Frank Bainimarama, Fiji Prime Minister