COVID-19: Malteser International calls for equitable access to vaccines

While vaccination against COVID-19 is already underway in Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, more than half of people in low income countries stand little chance of getting vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing millions to the brink of starvation, Malteser International has called for governments and institutions to ensure vulnerable people in the Global South have swift and equitable access to safe COVID-19 vaccines.

Malteser International supports post-earthquake response in Croatia

Malteser International has offered to support emergency response efforts in Croatia after a series of earthquakes and aftershocks in the last seven days.

On Wednesday, Croatia’s Seismological Survey registered an earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale with the epicenter near Petrinja, southeast of the country’s capital city Zagreb. This comes a week after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region on December 29, 2020, killing seven people and injuring scores. This was followed by two other earthquakes a day after.

Northwest Syria: Increase in COVID-19 cases overwhelms health capacities

COLOGNE. As cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) rise in Northwest Syria, Malteser International is calling for increased capacity and support for health workers to respond.

In two weeks, COVID-19 infections in the region have risen by 70%, with over 12,000 people testing positive and 95 confirmed deaths as of November 23. Even before the pandemic, medical facilities, most of which are run by aid organizations, were already overstretched by the enormous humanitarian needs, but now any limits have been far exceeded.