WHO envisages a healthier post-COVID-19 world

COVID-19 has unfairly impacted some people more harshly than others, exacerbating existing inequities in health and welfare within and between countries. WHO is therefore issuing calls for urgent action to improve health for all people. The action points includeaccelerating equitable access to COVID-19 technologies between and within countries; invest in primary health care; prioritise health and social protection; build safe, healthy and inclusive neighbourhoods; and strengthen health information systems. A recent WHO global assessment shows that only 51 per cent of countries have included data disaggregation in their published national health statistics reports. The health status of these diverse groups is often masked when national averages are used. Moreover, it is often those who are made vulnerable, poor or discriminated against, who are the most likely to be missing from the data entirely.