The World

The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the critical role of public health in protecting people around the world. But the crisis has also exposed the need for more investment to help prevent a pandemic of this magnitude from happening again. As part of our weekly series taking your questions to the experts, The World's Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Dr. Howard Koh of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The US spends more than $700 billion on defense every year, more than healthcare, education and all the rest of our discretionary spending combined. And yet the coronavirus slipped silently and invisibly across our borders, and even onto our aircraft carriers. You could say we were preparing for World War III, when we got hammered by World War C. The Things That Go Boom podcast is back with a new season exploring what kinds of security risks are building out there? A co-production of PRX and Inkstick Media and in partnership with The World, host Laicie Heeley looks at misinformation, shadow warfare and asks if democracy is even still in vogue.

The pandemic has not stopped children and teenage migrants from showing up alone at the US border hoping to apply for asylum. But how they’re being treated by US authorities has changed dramatically and critics say the Trump administration is using the pandemic as a way to halt any entries across the border. Also, the historic theater district in London has been quiet since the coronavirus outbreak hit. And, there are no signs that the curtains will be raised again soon. Plus, Polish musician Kazik's song, “Your Pain is Better Than Mine,” topped the charts in Poland. The song is widely seen as criticizing the head of Poland's ruling nationalist party. A few minutes after the song’s #1 slot was announced, Radio Three allegedly deleted the song from their website and is now accused of censorship.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus closed the WHO’s two-day annual assembly vowing to continue to lead the fight against the pandemic which "threatens to tear at the fabric of international cooperation.” And, a super cyclone is set to hit India and Bangladesh Wednesday. Millions of people are being evacuated all while the countries face the coronavirus crisis. Also, the long-running pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong went quiet at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But now that the Chinese territory is beginning to open up, the political fight is back.

It’s an unprecedented time and situation. “A microscopic virus has brought us to our knees,” said United Nations Secretary General António Guterres at the start of today’s 73rd annual World Health Assembly. Leaders from around the world convened — for the first time virtually — for two days of meetings to address the world’s response to the global pandemic. Speakers included China’s President Xi Jinping and US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. Host Marco Werman speaks to The World’s Elana Gordon about the unusual unfolding of this year’s gathering and the heightened politics at stake.

It’s an unprecedented time and situation. “A microscopic virus has brought us to our knees,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at the start of the 73rd annual World Health Assembly on Monday. Leaders from around the world convened, for the first time virtually, for two days of meetings to address the world's response to the global pandemic. And, Brazil, one of the world’s coronavirus epicenters, is now navigating the coronavirus crisis without a health minister after Nelson Taich resigned on Friday. Also, a principal in New Zealand has posted a catchy YouTube video as health advice for her students returning after lockdown encouraging them to stay out of each other’s “moist breath zone.”

For awhile it seemed kids were largely spared by the impacts of the coronavirus. But doctors are beginning to reassess this. In very rare instances, the virus now appears to be associated with an extreme overreaction of the immune system in children, requiring intensive care. The World's host Marco Werman speaks to Dr. Lorenzo D’Antiga in Bergamo, Italy. Spain has been one of the European countries hit hardest by the coronavirus. But this week, some parts of the Mediterranean country saw a partial easing of the lockdown. Airlines in many of the world's richest economies are receiving help from their governments to stay in business. That's not in the case in Latin America. The World's Jorge Valencia reports on the status of two air carriers in Colombia. And, people of Filipino descent make up 1 percent of the US population, but 7 percent of the health care workforce. In New York City, a group in the Queens neighborhood. known as Little Manila is taking care of their own.

A handful of newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in Wuhan, China, widely believed to be the original epicenter of the disease. The new cases have the Chinese government moving forward with a sweeping new plan of mass testing. And, the coronavirus pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities to bioweapons all around the world. A record 1.1 billion people watched the FIFA Women’s World Cup last summer in France, a peak in both popularity and the fight for gender equity. But the pandemic is putting both of these achievements at risk.

Governments around the world are looking to start reopening society. But there have been a variety of approaches, and many people want to know: When is it safe to go back to work? As part of our weekly series taking your questions to the experts, The World's Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Joseph Allen from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health on how to make an office environment safe amid the coronavirus crisis. And we're now featuring this discussion as a podcast in The World's feed.

Governments around the world are looking to start reopening society. But there have been a variety of approaches, and many people want to know: When is it safe to go back to work? As part of our weekly series taking your questions to the experts, The World's Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Joseph Allen from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health on how to make an office environment safe amid the coronavirus crisis. And we're now featuring this discussion as a podcast in The World's feed.