COVID-19 at War: The Joint Forces Operation in Ukraine

Abstract

The ongoing pandemic disaster of coronavirus erupted with the first confirmed cases in Wuhan, China in December 2019, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus, the disease referred to as “COVID-19.” The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the outbreak and determined it a global pandemic. The current pandemic has infected nearly 100 million people and killed over 2 million. The current COVID-19 pandemic is smashing every public health barrier, guardrail and safety measure in underdeveloped and the most developed countries alike with peaks and troughs across time. Greatly impacted are those regions experiencing conflict and war. Morbidity and mortality increase logarithmically for those communities at risk and that lack the ability to promote basic preventative measures. As states around the globe struggle to unify responses, make gains on preparedness levels, identify and symptomatically treat positive cases and labs across the globe frantically rollout various vaccines and effective surveillance and therapeutic mechanisms. The incidence and prevalence of COVID-19 may continue to increase globally as no unified disaster response is manifested and disinformation spreads. During this failure in response, virus variants are erupting at a dizzying pace. Ungoverned spaces where non-state actors predominate and active war zones may become the next epicenter for COVID-19 fatality rates. As the incidence rates continue to rise, hospitals in North America and Europe exceed surge capacity and immunity post infection struggles to be adequately described. The global threat in previously high-quality, robust infrastructure healthcare systems in the most developed economies are failing the challenge posed by COVID-19; how will less developed economies and those healthcare infrastructures that are destroyed by war and conflict until adequate vaccines penetrance in these communities or adequate treatment are established? Ukraine and other states in the Black Sea Region are under threat and are exposed to armed Russian aggression against territorial sovereignty daily. Ukraine, where Russia has been waging war since 2014, faces this specific dual threat: disaster response to violence and a deadly infectious disease. In order to best serve biosurveillance, aid in pandemic disaster response and bolster health security in Europe, across the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) and Black Sea regions, increased NATO integration, across Ukraine’s disaster response structures within the Ministries of Health, Defense and Interior must be reenforced and expanded in order to mitigate the COVID-19 disaster.

Perceived Stress Levels among Ukrainian Migrant and LGBT+ Minorities in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…There are also no data on the length of migrants’ stay in Poland (and the migrants’ generation), the reason for migration, the level of bonds with the country of origin and religion, i.e., factors that could have a significant impact on the level of perceived stress (integration, acculturation, language skills) [ 46 ]. However, it should be remembered that many Ukrainian migrants probably work in Poland illegally, and that they came from a country where, formally, a war is still being waged [ 82 ]. Moreover, MSM from Ukraine could experience various kinds of violence in their country of origin.…”

A Historical Review of Military Medical Strategies for Fighting Infectious Diseases: From Battlefields to Global Health

“…From 2014 to 2017, an outbreak of poliomyelitis was observed, after Ukraine was certified polio-free in 2002. In the period 1 January–5 November 2019, 56,802 cases of measles were reported to the WHO, tuberculosis was rising, and COVID-19 showed a case-fatality rate of 2% [ 705 ]. Thus, the military has always been forced to face not only the visible enemy but also the invisible agents of infectious diseases, which have frequently influenced the outcome of battles and wars more heavily than the strategic capacity.…”

“…Paradigmatic of the influence of conflicts and social disruption on infectious diseases is the complex and difficult story of polio eradication. Conflicts are frequently accompanied by a re-emergence of the eradicated polio, as in Ukraine, which was declared polio-free in 2002, and a polio outbreak was registered following the conflict with the Russian Federation in 2014 [ 705 ]. The same situation was observed in Syria in 2013, when polio, which had been eradicated 18 years before, re-emerged as a consequence of the civil war [ 140 , 718 ].…”

The Role of Europe’s Schools of Public Health in Times of War: ASPHER Statement on the War Against Ukraine

“…Guided by the principles for peacebuilding [ 8 ], ASPHER takes the following five-fold action: (1) Discovery and dissemination of facts: ASPHER is creating an easily accessible mapping of knowledge, competences and skills that are of importance for SPHs and the public health workforce under conditions of conflict and war. Among them are emergency response and operations including environmental and infrastructure-related issues; public health surveillance and reporting systems in conflict zones; refugee and migrant health; the management of the Covid-19 pandemic [ 9 ]; other communicable diseases that emerge due to destruction of infrastructure; coordinated efforts with military personnel for public health interests; review protocols and competencies on radiation emergencies, nuclear explosion or nuclear leaks and how to protect population health in such eventualities. To support the effective implementation of these competencies and skills, ASPHER strengthens the existing cooperation in the SPH network, namely through sharing in scientific cooperation programmes, exchanges of scholars, distance learning and other forms of emergency digital training, assistance and scientific advice to health authorities, policymakers and other national or European or international entities, such as the United Nations Health Cluster in Ukraine.…”