Today marks a new chapter in the fight against COVID-19, as the Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires in the United States. Similarly, on May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the end of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern, downgrading COVID-19 from an emergency to an “ongoing health issue” with a need […]
Originally published by STAT, September 27, 2022. The California State Legislature has sent a bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom that strengthens discipline for doctors who knowingly spread Covid-19 misinformation. Legislation like this is sorely needed across the country. More than two years into the pandemic, Covid-19 misinformation still runs rampant. Some comes from doctors spreading lies about unproven — […]
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) welcomes and congratulates Dr. Ashish Jha on his new position as the White House Coronavirus Coordinator, which he began this month. PHR is grateful for Dr. Jha’s service on our Board of Directors and wishes him well in this critical role. Dr. Jha takes up this new role at a […]
Despite the rapid development of effective vaccines and efforts to ramp up production, much of the world’s population has limited – if any – access to vaccines, while high-income countries continue to hoard vaccine doses and refuse to take the necessary steps to ensure equitable global distribution. As global leaders gathered in New York City […]
Separation of families. Denial of medication and medical care. Nonconsensual medical procedures. For decades, health and rights advocates have documented abuses against people held in U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) detention. However, as COVID-19 began to rage across the United States, pandemic-related inadequacies worsened conditions for detainees and exacerbated the existing threats to their health […]
Hopes of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic are increasing, with nearly five billion doses of vaccines administered globally. Yet for vulnerable populations such as Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, there is a long road ahead. As a result of the violent August 2017 crackdown on Rohingya previously living in Myanmar, Bangladesh hosts a population of nearly one […]
As COVID-19 continues to ravage low- and middle-income countries, Iraq struggles to manage the pandemic within its borders. It continues to have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the Middle East: to date, only about one million people have been fully vaccinated, representing less than two percent of a population of approximately 40 million. […]
While COVID-19 “recovery” usually implies a patient’s recuperation from physical symptoms, the recovery of health care systems from systemic fractures exposed by the pandemic is equally pressing. With 7 out of 10 Black Americans reporting unfair treatment by the medical establishment, and the grossly inadequate safety measures provided for immigrants in U.S. Immigration and Customs […]
Requirements for certain groups of people to be vaccinated against COVID-19, known as vaccine “mandates,” have generated significant debate, including in institutions of higher education and health care settings in the United States. More mandates are likely to be instituted in the United States as vaccine manufacturers seek full approval from the Food and Drug […]
“It’s been a total nightmare. I’ve called eight different government and private facilities today alone trying to schedule a vaccine appointment for my parents. Each facility has a different set of rules; some even charge for the vaccine – none had available appointments.” That’s how Suzanne Kidenda, program officer for the Physicians for Human Rights […]
