EMUN@DPSD’20

Forum: ​World Health Organisation

Issue:​ Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Personnel and Resources
Student Officers: ​Waleed Yousif & Shaunak Khare
Position: ​Co-Chairs

Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency within the United Nations
that concerns themselves with international public health. Created in 1948, the organization
was found to coordinate health affairs within the United Nations ‘member states, with its initial
priorities pertaining to controlling the spread of tuberculosis, malaria, and other communicable
diseases, while also protecting women and children’s sanitation, nutrition, and overall health

Today, it has grown to coordinate with other UN agencies, donors, non-governmental

organizations (NGOs) and the private sector for the purposes of ​investigating and managing
disease outbreaks. Furthermore, through International Health Regulations, the WHO defined the
responsibility of its member states, each expected to report cases of a few contagious diseases
such as cholera, plague and yellow fever. Hence, it is only natural to assume that, given the
current crisis of the global COVID19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation would be
considered the centre of debate, taking in the contributions of the various committees and
facilitating diplomacy and action.

The needs of the day in our current situation are quick, viable solutions to the crisis at
hand, alongside long term solutions that restore the economic and social structure of the
geopolitical world. Controlling lockdowns & armed conflicts, protection of refugees, the
restoration of the world economy, and public awareness are all areas of imperative action that
can be affiliated with the WHO. However, it would be the World Health Organisation’s main
objective to protect the first line of medical defense, and preserve the institutions that carry out
both treatment and prevention of spread. Therefore, the committee’s aim would be to address
the impact of the pandemic on medical personnel and resources, and to understand & cater to
the shortages and issues faced by medical personnel during the pandemic.
EMUN@DPSD’20

Definition of Key Terms

Coronaviruses
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that range from the MERS coronavirus (Middle
East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus) and SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus) to the common cold.

Flattening Of Curve

In epidemiological terms, flattening the curve refers to certain societal isolation measures
that aim to keep the daily number of disease cases at a feasible level for the medical
institutions.

International Health Regulations

The International Health Regulations (IHR) is the international legal instrument that binds
the 194 countries across the globe, including all the Member States of WHO, with an aim to help
the international community prevent and respond to acute public health risks that have the
potential to spread across borders and threaten people worldwide.

N95 Masks

An N95 respirator is a protective respiratory device designed to achieve a very close

facial fit and minute filtration of airborne particles. The respirator blocks at least 95% of very
small (0.3 micron) test particles. If properly fitted, the filtration capabilities of N95 respirators
exceed those store bought. However, even a properly fitted N95 respirator does not completely
eradicate the probability of infection or death.

Pandemic

An outbreak of a disease that affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population

and occurs over a wide geographic area.
EMUN@DPSD’20

Personal Protective Equipment

A special equipment worn to create a barrier between an individual and the germs
present in a given environment. This barrier significantly reduces the chance of touching, being
exposed to, and spreading germs. It includes everything from eye protection to gowns, aprons
and head covers.

Ventilators

A ventilator is a machine that provides moving breathable air into and out of the lungs
through a mechanical system, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe.

Key Issues

Lack of Medical Resources

Apart from equipment, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the shortages of several
essential medicines. Many of the raw materials required for key drugs, such as antibiotics and
statins, are manufactured by China, where factories have been put to a halt in the efforts to
contain the virus. The drug supply chain originates and therefore, relies on basic molecules
used to make drugs, which are made in China and then exported to India and other countries
where they are formulated into consumables, for sale worldwide.

Chinese factory production was stopped at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and
workers were quarantined, leading to transport between factories was disrupted and as a result,
key raw materials weren’t produced. As the Chinese raw materials ran out, companies around
the globe, especially India, could no longer produce and export the same volume of medicines.

Furthermore, India recently banned exports of key medicines, and although some
Chinese factories have continued production , it is unclear when it will reach its maximum
production force, or when India will lift its restrictions on drug imports.
EMUN@DPSD’20

Vulnerability of Medical Personnel

With coronavirus cases rising in thousands by the day, doctors, nurses and other
front-line medical workers across the world are confronting a dire shortage of surgical gowns,
eye gear, and the masks & gloves that protect them from the virus. This crisis is not only limited
to the states, as nations and hospitals around the world are lacking the necessary equipment to
protect themselves and their patients. As coronavirus testing expands and more cases are
being diagnosed, doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are scrambling to find enough
medical equipment to distribute throughout the staff.

Governments around the world compete to purchase the same equipment, creating a
competitive market for those materials and supplies, driving up prices for everyone, creating
what has come to be known as an impromptu medical bidding war. This practice is prevalent
within countries as well, as local and state governments compete for resources, leading to
governments and nations being denied supplies proportionate to the intensity of the crisis.

Major Parties Involved and their Views

Brazil
In a country where the President himself attends anti-lockdown rallies, and the acting
Health Minister is a military general with no background in health, it’s no surprise that Brazil now
has the 2nd highest number of confirmed cases globally, a staggering 375,000. President
Bolsonaro once dismissed the coronavirus as a “little flu”, and is currently pushing for
businesses to reopen, whereas local governors are encouraging social distancing and
quarantine.

Brazil has seen a steady increase in the number of deaths, from 1,000 deaths on April
10th, to 25,000 on May 27th. ​The Nurses Union reports that lack of PPE and equipment are
creating life threatening conditions for nurses in Brazil. At least 16,600 nurses have been
infected with COVID-19 in Brazil, and 150 died. The Federal Nursing Council stated that Brazil’s
health system was in a crisis before the arrival of COVID-19. Now, the situation seems dire.
EMUN@DPSD’20

People’s Republic of China

According to official international statistics, China has successfully flattened the curve.
After the aforementioned process,, health authorities have reported only one new locally
transmitted case of COVID-19. Within Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak and the country’s
worst-hit area, officials on Monday reported a week of new diagnosed cases.
But as the country resumes its daily activities following the lockdown, residents and
analysts doubt the government’s claim to a near-zero community transmission rate. Leading
sources, including the WHO, worry that leaders have prioritised restarting the economy over
decisively eradicating the virus. While public health experts, as well as citizens, say the situation
has dramatically improved in China as the result of aggressive testing, quarantines and social
distancing – many doubt the numbers are as good as officials have reported, especially after the
government admitted to hiding the true spread and extent of the virus.

Spain
Within the last week of March, Spain’s death toll of 3,434 crossed that of China’s. The
total figure was far less than Italy, and although, it still is, the pace at which the number of cases
rise is far less than that of Italy. A shortage of space in intensive care units could aggravate the
death count in Spain after the number of patients in ICU exceeded existing capacity for the first
time.. The country's remaining almost total lockdown allows its citizens to be confined to their
homes, except for essential activities. There are currently about 238,000 cases and 30,00
confirmed deaths.

Russia
Russia was late to the party. On March 27th, the country first began to experience
exponential growth in the number of COVID-19 cases whereas other countries witnessed this
phase months before. Nevertheless, Russia holds the third highest number of cases with
379,000 infected patients. Russia is different from most other countries because only 4,100
people have died out of the 379,000 which is very little compared to countries like the UK where
15% of the infected cases have died. Russia has shown remarkable recovery rates too which
shows how prepared the country is to take strict measures to reduce the nationwide impact.
Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin has announced that coronavirus restrictions will not be fully
EMUN@DPSD’20

lifted until a vaccine has been developed. During the height of Russia’s cases increasing, the
government imposed a complete non-working period till May 11th as well as strict self isolation
laws being put in place. In attempts to stabilize the country's situation, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin
has ordered certain coronavirus restrictions to be lifted in Moscow. Another reason as to why
Russia has lowered death rates is due to their surplus of medical equipment and personal
protective equipment. On March 31st, Russia dispatched a cargo plane loaded with medical
supplies to the US meaning they are truly in surplus which can be a huge advantage for LEDC’s
and generally countries in need at this very moment.

United States of America

As of 28th May, 2020, there are nearly 1.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases within the
United States, according to the John Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.
Currently, the United States holds the mantle of the highest number of COVID-19 casualties in
the world surpassing the number of American deaths witnessed by the Vietnam War. Governing
bodies across the country are facing shortages of both personal protective equipment –
everything from gloves to face shields to gowns to sanitizers to N95 masks – for frontline
healthcare workers, and critical care equipment, like ventilators, that keeps severely ill patients
alive. Governments are also prominently challenged by the ongoing bidding war taking place
between their states, leading to insufficient and unproportional distribution of these resources.

Given that the US is facing dwindling supplies and is suffering from the lack of medical
resources Jim Richardson, the director of the States Departments foreign assistance resources,
told reporters on March 26th ​“Where there is a critical shortfall in the United States, obviously,
we can’t pay for donations of materials that we can’t actually procure,”.​ In March, the US aid
agency was in fact shipping personal protective equipment (PPE) to nations in need from their
own stockpiles. This was soon put on hold after government officials across the country found
out that the shipments were continuing during a meeting next month. A representative of the aid
agency formalized a shipping freeze as the US’s depleting resources needed to be reserved.
EMUN@DPSD’20

Development of the Issue

Date Event Outcome

China alerted the World

Health Organization (WHO)
December 31, 2019 Alerting the World Health of several flu-like cases in
Organization Wuhan, the capital of China’s
Hubei province. While
patients have been placed in
quarantine, health authorities
begin trying to trace the
source.

Chinese health authorities

close the Huanan Seafood
January 1, 2020 Possible source Wholesale Market after it is
discovered that wild animals
sold there may be the source
of the virus.

Chinese authorities confirm

that they have identified the
January 7, 2020 Identification virus as a novel coronavirus,
initially named 2019-nCoV ​by
the WHO.

The Wuhan Municipal Health

Commission announces the
death of a 61-year-old man.
January 9, 2020 First death Exposed to the virus at the
seafood market, he died after
respiratory failure caused by
severe pneumonia.
EMUN@DPSD’20

The US confirms its first

coronavirus case. The victim,
January 21, 2020 First case in the US said to be in his 30s, has
been admitted at a hospital in
Washington upon his return
from China

The WHO emergency

committee declares the
January 31, 2020 WHO announcement outbreak as a Public Health
Emergency of International
Concern.

A man in the Philippines dies

from the coronavirus -- the
February 2, 2020 First death outside of first time a death has been
mainland China reported outside mainland
China since the outbreak
began.

The World Health

February 11, 2020 An official name Organization proposes an
official name for the
coronavirus: COVID-19.

Countries around the world,

from Bosnia, to Algeria
February 28, 2020 Drastic spread confirm their first cases.
WHO raises the global
coronavirus outbreak risk to
‘Very High’
EMUN@DPSD’20

The WHO declares the novel

March 11, 2020 A global pandemic coronavirus outbreak to be a
pandemic.

There are now nearly 5.5

May 28, 2020 The current situation million cases worldwide, with
about 350,000 deaths.

Previous Attempts to Solve the Issue

As the virus spread dramatically across the planet, nations implemented similar
lockdown measures, closing down schools, universities, marketplaces and other locations of
mass public gatherings. Health officials are relying on tactics such as social distancing and
quarantine to slow down the spread of this contagion.

As of now, there is no inoculation available, but things may not be as bleak as they
seem. Not long after the outbreak, Chinese scientists were able to sequence the virus’s genome
and shared it with the world. As a result, the structure of the virus was soon revealed, which is
essential for finding a vaccine. However, there are certain medical obstacles present : lack of
funds, changing political priorities and the long procedure and timelines before the actual use of
a vaccine.

A recent breakthrough in our fight against COVID-19, is the use of plasma drawn from
recovered patients. Two pilot studies carried out by medical teams in China discovered that
infusions of antibody-rich plasma from recovered patients led to a stark improvement in those
suffering from the viral disease. It may not be a permanent solution, but it can prevent patients
from getting seriously ill, and thereby boost their immune system. It does require some more
in-depth research, but seems to be a viable short term answer.
EMUN@DPSD’20

Possible Solutions
Limit on Price
Taking into account the bidding war taking place, what would be looked upon in the
current geopolitical situation would be the drafting of laws that place restrictions on the
maximum price of the medical supplies. This would look to take into consideration the interests
of both private and domestic enterprises within the state, bringing them to consensus and
distributing need based resources. Furthermore,what would also be looked upon would be the
proportionate distribution of the same, with medical supplies and symptom-reducing drugs
going to the states with higher spread & density.

Augmenting Healthcare Capacity & Flattening the Curve

Nearly every country that received an influx of coronavirus cases was faced with an
extreme struggle to stay afloat. One thing that all these countries share in common is the
under-preparedness of the national healthcare systems and incompetence of the healthcare
capacity. Though the solution may seem obvious, even the US which was the country
considered “most prepared” has landed themselves in the worst possible situation with sky
rocketing deaths. Increasing the healthcare capacities of countries will better prepare the nation
to successfully and quickly fight off any future communicable disease outbreaks. In order to do
this, countries must invest a greater percentage of government reserves into healthcare
facilities, equipment and research. Such a proposal will eradicate the issue of hospital bed
saturation, lack of treatment equipment for patients in critical condition (e.g. ventilators) and
even prevent or reduce the impact of future pandemics. Subsidising the infectious diseases
research industry will allow scientists to better predict future pandemics that may likely occur as
well as develop technology to simulate how such a pandemic would play out. With this
information, healthcare systems around the world can be tailored to better prepare for the likely
pandemics to arise in the future. This will ultimately diminish the possibility of the current
coronavirus situation repeating itself or relapsing.

Due to the inadequacy of healthcare systems around the world, health experts have
developed a concept known as flattening the curve. In the diagram shown below (​see next
page)​ , one can see the two possible models of how an outbreak or pandemic can unfold. In the
red scenario, there are limited protective measures undertaken by the national population of a
EMUN@DPSD’20

country. With this comes an innumerable

amount of cases in a short period of time,
exceeding the current healthcare
capacity. Meanwhile, in the blue scenario
when protective measures are put in
place, the pandemic lasts longer, but
remains within the confines of the
national healthcare capacities. With that
being said, flattening the curve by
implementing protective measures such as quarantine, social distancing, lockdowns, national
sterilization programs and increased personal protective equipment are vital in keeping the
curve below the line. In summary, increasing the healthcare capacity and flattening the curve
will result in a much less severe pandemic and is a solution to be highly considered.

Health Care’s Digital Revolution

Unlike the “Spanish flu” of 1918, which progressively, and gradually became an
international epidemic over the course of a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread over the
globe to every inhabitable continent within weeks, outpacing our current health system’s ability
to test, track, contatin, and treat people with suspected infection. In order to continue
functioning, both private companies and institutions of higher education have made an abrupt
transition to remote videoconferencing and other digital solutions. However, is it the health care
system, those who are most exposed to risk still managing this crisis largely through risky,
physical, brick-and-mortar visits.

As an analogue system, the healthcare industry is ill equipped to cope with this swiftly
emerging pandemic. The U.S. healthcare industry, for example, is structured on the necessary
model of in-person interactions between patients and doctors. Economic incentives and clinical
workflows have largely been developed to support and reinforce a face-to-face model of care,
resulting in the congregation of patients in emergency departments and waiting areas during
this crisis, that may as well be further spreading the virus itself.

This care structure contributes to the spread of the virus not only to uninfected patients
who are seeking evaluation, but also hospital staff. Vulnerable populations such as patients
with multiple underlying conditions will face the difficult choice between risking iatrogenic
EMUN@DPSD’20

Covid-19 exposure during a clinician visit and postponing needed care. This only points towards
a digital revolution in the practise of medicine and treatment, the procedures of which are to be
evaluated by the committee.
EMUN@DPSD’20

Bibliography

1. Abutaleb, Yasmeen, et al. “The U.S. Was Beset by Denial and Dysfunction as the
Coronavirus Raged.” ​The Washington Post​, WP Company, 4 Apr. 2020,
www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2020/04/04/coronavirus-government-dysfunc
tion/?arc404=true.
2. “COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.” ​Worldometer​, 28 May 2020, 14:08,
www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/.
3. “Essential Resource Planning.” ​World Health Organization,​ World Health Organization,
15 Apr. 2020,
www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/covid-19
-critical-items.
4. Jakes, Lara. “U.S. Sends Funds to Needy Nations to Fight the Virus, but Maybe Not for
Masks.” ​The New York Times​, The New York Times, 16 Apr. 2020,
www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/us/politics/coronavirus-foreign-aid-protective-equipment.ht
ml.
5. Karim, Natasha. “Verdict Media Limited.” ​Pharmaceutical Technology​, Global Data, 28
May 2020, 17:33,
www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/coronavirus-a-timeline-of-how-the-deadly-ou
tbreak-evolved/.
6. Keesara, Sirina, et al. “Covid-19 and Health Care's Digital Revolution: NEJM.” ​New
England Journal of Medicine,​ 22 May 2020,
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2005835?query=featured_coronavirus.
7. Menon, Balaram. “Photos: Spain Grapples with COVID-19 Pandemic.” ​News​, Gulf News,
8 Apr. 2020,
gulfnews.com/photos/news/photos-spain-grapples-with-covid-19-pandemic-1.158635006
4494?slide=6.
8. The Moscow Times. “Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News: May 28.” ​The Moscow
Times​, The Moscow Times, 28 May 2020, 17:48,
www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/05/28/coronavirus-in-russia-the-latest-news-may-28-a6
9117.
EMUN@DPSD’20

9. “Overview of the Coronavirus.” ​World Health Organization,​ World Health Organization,

www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1.
10. Roth, Andrew. “Coronavirus: Russia Sends Plane Full of Medical Supplies to US.” ​The
Guardian,​ Guardian News and Media, 1 Apr. 2020,
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/01/coronavirus-russia-sends-plane-full-of-medical-
supplies-to-us.
11. Sauer, Lauren M. “What Is Coronavirus?” ​What Is Coronavirus?,​ Johns Hopkins
Medicine, 28 May 2020,
www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus.