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 A moment with a loved one 

A Missouri Air National Guardsman shares a moment with a loved one upon returning home to Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 18, 2020, after an overseas deployment. 

Women Courage: Sharp Shooter with carbine

 During weapons qualification course in Kuwait 

USA: 20th October 2020: (The Eagle Eye News)::

Women are growing with fast speed even on war front. They are getting themselves trained in weapon training too. Women are surprising the world with their capacity to learn and perform. You are watching the picture of a brave American soldier. Missouri Army National Guard Spc. Lauren Cabrera fires from an M4 carbine during a specialized law enforcement weapons qualification course at the Udairi Range Complex, Kuwait, Oct. 19, 2020.

Marines Donate Plasma in Fight Against COVID-19

Feature//Defense News

 These antibodies could lead to developments 

23rd July 2020 | By Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob L. Greenberg

Marines assigned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in California who have tested positive for COVID-19 donated plasma at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

A phlebotomist drawing and testing blood.

In support of the development of an effective treatment, The Defense Department launched a campaign in late May to collect 8,000 units of plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19.

"The hope is that these Marines who have tested positive and recovered from COVID-19 will have developed antibodies," said Ellyn Alcantara, a clinical nurse assigned to the medical center's blood donor center. "These antibodies could lead to developments in a treatment for COVID-19."

All of the Marines volunteered to donate their plasma with the hope that their antibodies will help others.

"It makes me feel good to be a part of the solution to this pandemic," said Marine Corps Pfc. Xavier Flores, a recent donor.

A Marine gets blood drawn while lying in a hospital bed.

Upon arriving at the donor center, the Marines were given a medical health screening to determine their donor eligibility. Once they are cleared to donate plasma, a complete blood count and hematocrit test ensures the proportion of red blood cells in the body is optimal for donation and would have no adverse effects on the donor.

"A transfusion transmissible infection test will be performed on all donors as a part of their screening process," said Navy Lt. Therica Reynolds, the officer in charge of the medical center's Blood Donor Center. "We're trying to maximize our plasma collection and do our part for patient care."

Reynolds said apheresis — the plasma donation process — takes about an hour from the beginning of the screening process to the end of the collection. Convalescent COVID-19 plasma, or CCP, from recovered COVID-19-positive patients has been used at the medical center to help symptomatic patients recover.

A phlebotomist drawing and testing blood.

"A qualified donor is eligible to donate every 28 days, and one person can potentially donate four doses, or bags, of CCP per visit," Reynolds said. "We highly encourage potential donors to make an appointment for one of our five apheresis machines. Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and has recovered is encouraged to come into our [donation center] and get screened to donate."

NMCSD's mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. It employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians and contractors.

(Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob L. Greenberg is assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego.)

WHO and UNICEF to partner on pandemic response

Through COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund

Unprecedented fund an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach to tackle COVID-19 pandemic

3 April 2020 News release New York/Geneva/Washington, DC

Courtesy Photo

WHO and UNICEF today announced an agreement to work together on COVID-19 response, through the historic COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund powered by the United Nations Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.  

The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund has been set up to facilitate an unprecedented global response by supporting the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. As part of the agreement, an initial portion of the money from the Fund – which currently stands at more than $127 million – will flow to UNICEF for its work with vulnerable children and communities all over the world.

“COVID-19 is an unprecedented pandemic requiring extraordinary global solidarity to urgently respond,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “I’m pleased that UNICEF joined the Solidarity Response Fund. With their extensive experience both in fundraising and in implementing programmes, this partnership will help us to work together closely to save lives.”

The money collected through the fund will be used, among others, to train and equip communities and health-care workers to prevent, detect and treat COVID-19. It will help countries expand their health-care capacity and mitigate its social impact, especially on women, children and vulnerable social groups. And it will accelerate research and development of treatments and preventive vaccines.

As a key partner in this joined-up effort, UNICEF will lead emergency efforts to ensure families and communities in the most vulnerable countries are fully engaged in the response and have access to water, sanitation and hygiene and other infection prevention and control measures. UNICEF will also ensure children, caretakers, and frontline responders such as social workers, teachers and healthcare workers are supported through evidence-based guidance through its vast community outreach and country programs.

“This is an extraordinary emergency that demands an extraordinary response, and we need all-hands on deck—individuals, corporations, foundations, governments and other organizations around the world,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “UNICEF is pleased to join the Solidarity Response Fund. It will bolster our efforts to strengthen health and sanitation systems and help protect the most vulnerable families from knock-on impacts of COVID-19 on already overstretched health systems.”

Funds raised will be spent in alignment with the global response plan, and where needs are greatest. At the direction of WHO leadership, it is expected that resources will go directly toward:

WHO, for its work to track the spread of the virus, assess gaps and needs, equip frontline health workers with personal protective equipment, ensure lab and testing tools are available in countries around the world, and keep communities and frontline responders informed with the latest technical guidance.

UNICEF, to ensure children and families around the world are equipped with all the evidence-based information and latest WHO guidance as well as locally relevant information to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19; to support vulnerable countries by providing access to water, sanitation and hygiene, and basic infection prevention and control measures; and to provide access to care for vulnerable families and children.

CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a key partner leading the financing for research and development for novel vaccines to combat COVID-19, working closely with WHO.

The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund was set up at WHO’s request by the UN Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation and launched three weeks ago. It is the only way for individuals and organizations to contribute directly to WHO’s global efforts to tackle the pandemic. To date the fund has $127 million raised or committed from more than 219,000 individuals from all over the world plus more than 90 global companies and organizations. The partnership is also a tremendous demonstration of solidarity across UN organizations in coordinating, partnering and supporting each other in dealing with the immediate and longer-term impact of the pandemic. 

“There has never been a more urgent need for global cooperation,” said Elizabeth Cousens, President & CEO of the UN Foundation. “The COVID-19 pandemic shows us that we all can play a part to stop the spread. The incredible generosity shown to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund from around the world will help WHO, UNICEF, CEPI and partners accelerate their lifesaving work, especially to support the most vulnerable communities and speed the development of a vaccine.”

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Notes:

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. Learn more at https://unfoundation.org/

About WHO

WHO is the United Nations’ specialized agency for health. It is an inter-governmental organization and works in collaboration with its Member States usually through the Ministries of Health. The World Health Organization is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends. Learn more at www.who.int.

About the United Nations Foundation

The UN Foundation brings together ideas, people, and resources to help the United Nations drive global progress and tackle urgent problems. Our hallmark is to collaborate for lasting change and innovate to address humanity’s greatest challenges. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org.

OHCHR, IOM, UNHCR and WHO joint press release:

 In COVID-19 response

The rights and health of refugees, migrants and stateless must be protected

To unite the world in the fight against coronavirus, WHO is bringing together a wide array of partners on a series of engaging initiatives to motivate and mobilize people to Be Ready to beat COVID-19, and to support the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

Musicians, footballers, athletes and artists will help you stay connected and healthy through shows of solidarity, lifesaving health messages and entertainment during lockdown.

Click on the campaigns below to learn how you can spread the word and help increase solidarity, awareness and funds to support the global response against COVID-19.

31 March 2020//Joint News Release

In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, we are all vulnerable. The virus has shown that it does not discriminate - but many refugees, those forcibly displaced, the stateless and migrants are at heightened risk. 

Three-quarters of the world’s refugees and many migrants are hosted in developing regions where health systems are already overwhelmed and under-capacitated.  Many live in overcrowded camps, settlements, makeshift shelters or reception centers, where they lack adequate access to health services, clean water and sanitation. 

The situation for refugees and migrants held in formal and informal places of detention, in cramped and unsanitary conditions, is particularly worrying. Considering the lethal consequences a COVID-19 outbreak would have, they should be released without delay. Migrant children and their families and those detained without a sufficient legal basis should be immediately released.

This disease can be controlled only if there is an inclusive approach which protects every individual’s rights to life and health.  Migrants and refugees are disproportionately vulnerable to exclusion, stigma and discrimination, particulary when undocumented.  To avert a catastrophe, governments must do all they can to protect the rights and the health of everyone. Protecting the rights and the health of all people will in fact help control the spread of the virus.

It is vital that everyone, including all migrants and refugees, are ensured equal access to health services and are effectively included in national responses to COVID-19, including prevention, testing and treatment. Inclusion will help not only to protect the rights of refugees and migrants, but will also serve to protect public health and stem the global spread of COVID-19.  While many nations protect and host refugee and migrant populations, they are often not equipped to respond to crises such as Covid-19. To ensure refugees and migrants have adequate access to national health services, States may need additional financial support. This is where the world’s financial institutions can play a leading role in making funds available. 

While countries are closing their borders and limiting cross-border movements, there are ways to manage border restrictions in a manner which respects international human rights and refugee protection standards, including the principle of non-refoulement, through quarantine and health checks. 

More than ever, as COVID-19 poses a global threat to our collective humanity, our primary focus should be on the preservation of life, regardless of status.  This crisis demands a coherent, effective international approach that leaves no-one behind.  At this crucial moment we all need to rally around a common objective, fighting this deadly virus. Many refugees, displaced, stateless people and migrants have skills and resources that can also be part of the solution.

We cannot allow fear or intolerance to undermine rights or compromise the effectiveness of responses to the global pandemic. We are all in this together. We can only defeat this virus when each and every one of us is protected.  (Courtesy: WHO)

Chirag Purshotam as the youngest chairman of IACC

Chirag Purushotam Reddy a 19 year old boy

Mumbai: 17th March 2020: (M. Mumtaz)::

Chirag Purshotam appointed as the youngest chairman Indian American Chambers of Commerce.

Mr Chirag Purushotam Reddy  a 19 year old has been named as the first and the youngest chairman of the international board of entrepreneurs of the Indian American Chambers of Commerce in Washington DC on 16th of March 2020.

The board has selected the young talent for his abilities and intellectual skills in bringing both India and the United States to work closely in Business development.

The chamber is headed by Mr KV Kumar who has served as the adviser to the White House and has worked with 6 presidents of the United States.

Mr Ashish Chauhan who is the CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange is also member of the chambers.

The chambers' mission is to promote and foster economic development of the United States of America and the Republic of India together with the rest of the world for the benefit of all.

"It is in the best interest of the future of our nation's youth that we have conglomerated this chamber and conferred this position to an outstanding individual who has the potential to steer ambition in our talented youth",said Chirag Purshotam.

Pine Island Glacier spawns piglets

11-02-2020 10:27 AM CET
Pine Island Glacier, known as PIG for short

As anticipated, Pine Island Glacier, known as PIG for short, in Antarctica has just spawned a huge iceberg. At over 300 sq km, about the size of Malta, this huge berg very quickly broke into many ‘piglet’ pieces the largest of which is dubbed B-49. Thanks to images from the Copernicus Sentinel satellite missions, two large rifts in the glacier were spotted last year and scientists have been keeping a close eye on how quickly these cracks were growing. This animation uses 57 radar images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission between February 2019 and February 2020 (the last frame is from today, 11 February 2020) and shows just how quickly the emerging cracks grew and led to this calving event. Courtesy:European Space Agency