Search

The current COVID-19 pandemic confines people to their homes, disrupting the fragile social fabric of deprived neighbourhoods and citizen's participation options. In deprived neighbourhoods, community engagement is central in building community resilience, an important resource for health and a prerequisite for effective health promotion programmes. It provides access to vulnerable groups and helps understand experiences, assets, needs and problems of citizens. Most importantly, community activities, including social support, primary care or improving urban space, enhance health through empowerment, strengthened social networks, mutual respect and providing a sense of purpose and meaning. In the context of inequalities associated with COVID-19, these aspects are crucial for citizens of deprived neighbourhoods who often feel their needs and priorities are ignored. In this perspectives paper, illustrated by a varied overview of community actions in the UK and The Netherlands, we demonstrate how citizens, communities and organizations may build resilience and community power. Based on in-depth discussion among the authors we distilled six features of community actions: increase in mutual aid and neighbourhood ties, the central role of community-based organizations (CBOs), changing patterns of volunteering, use of digital media and health promotion opportunities. We argue that in order to enable and sustain resilient and confident, 'disaster-proof', communities, areas which merit investment include supporting active citizens, new (digital) ways of community engagement, transforming formal organizations, alignment with the (local) context and applying knowledge in the field of health promotion in new ways, focussing on learning and co-creation with citizen initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discussed COVID-19 pandemic responses among select ASEAN countries. Topics discussed include actions that helped save lives in UK during Covid-19, vaccination detail of ASEAN countries with Singapore vaccinating 28.8% of its people, followed by Cambodia at 10.6%, and importance of plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle for countries with developing economies to strategically prepare and craft response plans for future disease outbreaks.

The article discusses excess deaths that were not correctly diagnosed and reported during Covid-19 in Philippines. Topics discussed include WHO estimates of undercount of total deaths directly and indirectly attributed to COVID-19, The Economist report on Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines showing negative excess mortality, fewer deaths than normal days, and importance of, accurate and timely data in public health decision-making.

In an editorial, the editors note how crucial the role is of public health activism in enforcing efficient and effective public health management. The government is the lead institution in any national response to the pandemic and to ensure transparency on its end, it is important for any network of health organizations and associations not to shy away from embracing an activist role. In this correspondence, the author explores the case of the Alliance of Health Workers, a union of government and private health workers, and its advocacy towards an empowered status of healthcare professionals in the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]