DOCSLIB.ORG

LAUNCH Baseline Report Page Ii

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
LAUNCH Baseline Report Page Ii LAUNCH June 28 Baseline Report 2011 i Acknowledgements This report is the result of the collective efforts of many individuals who have worked diligently and in sometimes very arduous physical conditions to collect data in some of the most remote physical areas of Liberia. TANGO International wishes to thank the efforts of both the members of the survey field team and senior personnel at ACDI/VOCA and PCI headquarters in Monrovia for making the collaborative team experience a very hospitable and positive one. While it is not possible to exhaustively identify every individual involved, the team is grateful to a number of senior members of ACDI/VOCA and PCI including: LAUNCH Chief of Party Ahamadou Ndiade, M&E Director George Forpoh, M&E Assistants John Sando and Tenneh Johnson, Country Coordinators Gabriel Coleman and Philip Zoryu, and Country Representative for PCI Frederick Henning. Maria Bina Palmisano, senior Monitoring and Evaluation Director from ACDI/VOCA in Washington has been extremely helpful and supportive of the field mission since the outset. Deanne Samuels from PCI in San Diego also provided very valuable insights and guidance to the field team in preparation for the field survey. Many government officials in the sectors of education, health, and agriculture in Bong and Nimba Counties provided their undivided attention in meeting with survey team members and providing very useful information needed for this report. Dr. James Kormon, CEO of African Development Associates, and his reliable team of enumerators, staff, and drivers worked endless hours under very difficult conditions to assure that the field survey was carried out effectively. They provided very good company and went out of their way to assure that the TANGO team was in good hands throughout their entire stay in Liberia. For this, we are very grateful. Finally, we are most indebted to those individuals who struggle each day to survive under very impoverished conditions - the farm families whom we surveyed, interviewed and often shared meals with. Without their generosity and openness in welcoming us into their homes and sharing invaluable information about their lives, this report would have never happened. We truly hope that through their own motivation and hard efforts, their lives will be enriched and shaped immeasurably in many positive ways through their participation and partnership in the LAUNCH initiative. Mark Langworthy John Magistro TANGO International 25 April 2011 TANGO International, Inc. 406 S. Fourth Ave. Tucson, Arizona 85701 Tel: (1)-520-617-0977 Fax: (1)-520-617-0980 [email protected] LAUNCH Baseline Report Page ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... v List of Acronyms ......................................................................................................................................... vi Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... viii 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Context .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 LAUNCH Program Objectives ..................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Objectives of the LAUNCH Baseline study ................................................................................. 4 1.4 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 6 2.0 General survey population characteristics ............................................................................................ 14 2.1 Geography ................................................................................................................................... 14 2.2 Surveyed Population ................................................................................................................... 15 3.0 Household Food Security Conditions ................................................................................................... 17 4.0 Strategic Objective 1: Increased Availability of and Access to Food Among Vulnerable Rural Populations .................................................................................................................................................. 19 4.1 Household food security ............................................................................................................. 19 4.2 Constraints to Smallholder Production ....................................................................................... 34 5.0 Strategic Objective 2: Reduced Chronic Malnutrition of Vulnerable Women and Children Under Five .................................................................................................................................................................... 39 5.1 Infant and young child feeding practices .................................................................................... 41 5.2 Antenatal and postnatal care ....................................................................................................... 42 5.3 Potable water supply and sanitation ............................................................................................ 43 5.4 Hygiene ....................................................................................................................................... 44 5.5 Perceptions of Vulnerability ....................................................................................................... 46 5.6 Constraints to health and nutrition among women and children ................................................. 46 6.0 Strategic Objective 3: Improved Educational Opportunities for Children and Youth .......................... 51 6.1 School Enrollment ...................................................................................................................... 51 6.2 Constraints in Access to and Quality of Education ..................................................................... 53 7.0 Summary of Findings ............................................................................................................................ 59 6.3 Key Findings for SO1: Agriculture and Livelihoods .................................................................. 59 6.4 Key Findings for SO2: Health and Nutrition .............................................................................. 61 6.5 Key Findings for SO3: Education ............................................................................................... 62 Annex 1. Terms of Reference ..................................................................................................................... 63 Annex 2. IPTT with confidence intervals ................................................................................................... 76 Annex 3. List of Villages Visited................................................................................................................ 77 LAUNCH Baseline Report Page iii Annex 4. Quantitative Survey Questionnaires ............................................................................................ 78 Annex 5. Results from Factor Analysis on Food Security Variables.......................................................... 89 Annex 6. Qualitative Survey Team ............................................................................................................. 91 Annex 7. Work Schedule for Qualitative and Quantitative Teams ............................................................. 92 Annex 8. Examples of Qualitative Surveys, Seasonality Calendars & FG Constraints Matrices ............... 94 Annex 9. List of Key Informants Interviewed .......................................................................................... 108 Annex 10. Qualitative Field Instruments .................................................................................................. 109 Annex 11. Coefficients used in Asset Index ............................................................................................. 110 Annex 12. Semi-Structured Interviews with Village Leaders – Data Summary ...................................... 111 Annex 13. List of Documents Reviewed ................................................................................................. 112 LAUNCH Baseline Report Page iv List of Tables Table 1. IPTT indicators measure in baseline survey ................................................................................... 5 Table 2. Household food security indicators by food security category ..................................................... 10 Table 3. Constraints Analysis Matrices ...................................................................................................... 12 Table 4. Surveyed population
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Subproject Briefs
    Liberia Energy Sector Support Program (LESSP) Subproject Briefs 8 July 2013 LESSP Subprojects Introduction • Seven Infrastructure Subprojects – OBJECTIVE 2 – Pilot RE Subprojects • Two hydro (one Micro [15 kW] and one Mini [1,000 kW]) • Two biomass power generation – OBJECTIVE 3 – Support to Liberia Energy Corporation (LEC) • 1000 kW Photovoltaic Power Station interconnected to LEC’s grid • 15 km Electric Distribution Line Extension to University of Liberia (UL) Fendell Campus – OBJECTIVE 3 - Grants – Public Private Partnership • One Biomass Power Generation Research and Demonstration (70 kW) • Total Cost: $ 13.97 Million USD (Engineer’s Estimate) • Service to: More than an estimated 72,000 Liberians (3,600 households and over 160 businesses and institutions) Subprojects Summary Data Project Cost, Service No LESSP Subprojects County kW Beneficiaries USD Population Million Mein River Mini Hydropower Subproject Bong 7.25 Over 3000 households, 150 1 1,000 Over 25,000 businesses and institutions Wayavah Falls Micro Hydropower Subproject Lofa 0.45 150 households and 4-5 2 15 Over 1,000 businesses/institutions Kwendin Biomass Electricity Subproject Nimba 0.487 248 households, a clinic, and a 3 60 Over 2,000 school Sorlumba Biomass Electricity Subproject Lofa 0.24 206 households, 8 institutions 4 35 Over 1,500 and businesses Grid connected 1 MW Solar PV Subproject Montserrado 3.95 5 1,000 LEC grid Over 15,000 MV Distribution Line Extension to Fendell Montserrado 1.12 6 Fendell Campus Over 25,000 Campus Establishment of the Liberia Center for Biomass Margibi 0.467 7 70 BWI Campus, RREA Over 2,200 Energy at BWI TOTAL - 5 counties 13.97 2,161 3,600 households and over 160 Over 72,000 businesses and institutions Liberia Energy Sector Support Program Subproject Brief: Mein River 1 MW Mini-Hydropower Subproject Location Suakoko District, Bong County (7o 8’ 11”N 9o 38’ 27” W) General Site The power house is 3 km uphill from the nearest road, outside the eco- Description tourism area of the Lower Kpatawee Falls.
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to Buying P2, Or Equivalent, Respirators for Use in the Australian &
    Version 1.0 26 June 202022 June 2020 A Guide to Buying P2, or Equivalent, Respirators for use in the Australian & New Zealand Work Environment June 2020 – Version 1.0 Supported by Version 1.0 26 June 202022 June 2020 Contents About this document ............................................................................................................................... 1 Understanding the complex environment of Regulation and respiratory protection ............................... 2 National and International P2 standards ................................................................................................. 3 What do I need in place before I start using P2 or equivalent respirators? ............................................ 4 What should I look for when buying respirators? .................................................................................... 5 About the product(s) – An overview of P2 and equivalent respirators .................................................... 6 Identifying non-compliant products ....................................................................................................... 13 Contributing Organisations Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists Australian Institute of Health & Safety New Zealand Occupational Hygiene Society Indoor Air Quality Association Australia Supported by Australian Council of Trade Unions SafeWork NSW SafeWork SA WorkSafe WA Health and Safety Association of NZ Primary Authors Kate Cole MAIOH Certified Occupational Hygienist (COH)® CF, Cole Health Jane
    [Show full text]
  • Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Program for Liberia Is a USAID-Funded Development Program That Was Launched in September 2011
    KIN FOOD AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT (FED) PROGRAM FOR LIBERIA MONTHLY REPORT: NOVEMBER 2014 Contract Number: 669-C-00-11-00047-00 VsContract Number: 669-C-00-11-00047-00 Contract Number: 669-00-11-00047-00 0 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development USAID, and prepared by DAI. Contractor: DAI Program Title: Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia (FED) Sponsoring USAID Office: USAID/Liberia Contractor: DAI Date of Publication: December 15, 2014 Photo Caption: Center for Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) Technician and USAID FED staff inspecting Cassava screening site in Lofa County. DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. USAID Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report November 2014 Acronyms AEDE Agency for Economic Development and Empowerment APDRA Association Pisciculture et Development Rural en Afrique AVTP Accelerated Vocational Training Program AYP Advancing Youth Project BSTVSE Bureau of Science, Technical, Vocational and Special Education BWI Booker Washington Institute CARI Center of Agriculture Research Institute CAHW Community Animal Health Worker CBF County Based Facilitator CILSS Permanent Interstates Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel CoE Center of Excellence CYNP Community Youth Network Program DAI Development Alternatives Inc. DCOP Deputy Chief of Party ECOWAS Economic Community
    [Show full text]
  • 2008 National Population and Housing Census: Preliminary Results
    GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA 2008 NATIONAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS LIBERIA INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS AND GEO-INFORMATION SERVICES (LISGIS) MONROVIA, LIBERIA JUNE 2008 FOREWORD Post-war socio-economic planning and development of our nation is a pressing concern to my Government and its development partners. Such an onerous undertaking cannot be actualised with scanty, outdated and deficient databases. Realising this limitation, and in accordance with Article 39 of the 1986 Constitution of the Republic of Liberia, I approved, on May 31, 2007, “An Act Authorizing the Executive Branch of Government to Conduct the National Census of the Republic of Liberia”. The country currently finds itself at the crossroads of a major rehabilitation and reconstruction. Virtually every aspect of life has become an emergency and in resource allocation, crucial decisions have to be taken in a carefully planned and sequenced manner. The publication of the Preliminary Results of the 2008 National Population and Housing Census and its associated National Sampling Frame (NSF) are a key milestone in our quest towards rebuilding this country. Development planning, using the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), decentralisation and other government initiatives, will now proceed into charted waters and Government’s scarce resources can be better targeted and utilized to produce expected dividends in priority sectors based on informed judgment. We note that the statistics are not final and that the Final Report of the 2008 Population and Housing Census will require quite sometime to be compiled. In the interim, I recommend that these provisional statistics be used in all development planning for and in the Republic of Liberia.
    [Show full text]
  • Land Governance Support Activity Technical Report Fy20 Q1 October 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019
    LAND GOVERNANCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY TECHNICAL REPORT FY20 Q1 OCTOBER 1, 2019 – DECEMBER 31, 2019 TETRA TECH TETRA PHOTO CREDIT: PHOTO January 2020 This publicationLAND was GOVERNANC produced forE SUPPORT review ACTIVITYby the United FY20 QUARTERStates Agency 1 REPORT for (OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2019) International Development. It was prepared by Tetra Tech. This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development by Tetra Tech, through the Liberia Land Governance Support Activity, Contract No: AID-OAA-I-12-00032, Task Order No: AID-669-TO-15-00003. This report was prepared by: Tetra Tech 159 Bank Street, Suite 300 Burlington, Vermont 05401 USA Telephone: (802) 495-0282 Fax: (802) 658-4247 Email: [email protected] Tetra Tech Contacts: Yohannes Gebremedhin, Chief of Party [email protected] Megan Huth, Project Manager [email protected] David Felson, Deputy Project Manager [email protected] ii LAND GOVERNANCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY FY20 QUARTER 1 REPORT (OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2019) LAND GOVERNANCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY TECHNICAL REPORT FY20 Q1 OCTOBER 1, 2019 – DECEMBER 31, 2019 DISCLAIMER The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. LAND GOVERNANCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY FY20 QUARTER 1 REPORT (OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2019) TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 2017 Annual Report
    2017 ANNUAL REPORT 1 "Implementation is simply getting things done, making an idea real. Implementation is where the advocates and journalists can sometimes turn aside, moving on to the next story or cause. The details needed for the endgame is where most ideas, policies and programs fail. Getting things done is central to this story because to achieve the systemic change necessary to eliminate the causes of worker abuse, the program had to work; its success measured by metrics of real and enduring change in the fields." - Susan Marquis Dean of the Pardee RAND Graduate School, on the Fair Food Program1 2 Photo: Shane Donglasan 3 About FFSC Program Partners Participating Buyers Mission The mission of the Fair Food Standards Council (FFSC) is to monitor the development of a sustainable agricultural industry that advances the human rights of farmworkers, the long-term interests of growers, and the ethical supply chain concerns of retail food companies through implementation of the Fair Food Program. For more information, visit fairfoodstandards.org. Board of Directors Rev. Noelle Damico - National Economic and Social Rights Initiative Dr. Patrick Mason - Department of Economics, Florida State University Cheryl Queen - Vice President of Corporate Communications, Compass Group Santiago Perez - Coalition of Immokalee Workers Nely Rodríguez - Coalition of Immokalee Workers Steven Hitov - Coalition of Immokalee Workers Executive Director Judge Laura Safer Espinoza is a recently retired New York State Supreme Court Justice who served in New York and Bronx Counties for twenty years. She was Deputy Supervising Judge for five years. Justice Safer Espinoza helped to Participating Growers design, and became the first presiding judge of, the Bronx Treatment Court, an innovative alternative to incarceration for non-violent offenders.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental & Social Impact Assessment
    Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Woodchip Biomass Production Buchanan Renewables Fuel Prepared By: EARTHTIME INC. October, 2009 Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Buchanan Renewables Fuel Table of Contents 2010 EARTHTIME INC. BUCHANAN RENEWABLES FUEL INC. Document Type: ESIA BR FUEL Contract Ref: SQ 100908-01 250 Excluding BR FUEL ESIA No. of Pages: Appendices Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Version Final Report Approved by Wassim Hamdan Project Manager October 07, 2010 Reviewed by Issam Bou Jaoude Peer Reviewer October 06, 2010 Prepared by Dia Karanouh Forestry Management October 06, 2010 Environmental & Social Rena Karanouh September 28, 2010 Consultant Yasmin El Helwe Environmental September 28, 2010 Consultant Cornelius Wright Technical Assistant September 28, 2010 DISCLAIMER This report has been prepared by EARTHTIME INC. , with all reasonable skill, care and diligence within the terms of the contract with the client, incorporating our General Terms and Conditions of Business and taking account of the resources devoted to it by agreement with the client. The information contained in this report is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of printing. The interpretations and recommendations are based on our experience, using reasonable professional skill and judgment, and based upon the information that was available to us. This report is confidential to the client and we accept no responsibility whatsoever to third parties to whom this report, or any part thereof, is made known. Any such party relies on the report at their own risk. EARTHTIME INC. LiberCell Building, Randall & Benson Streets, P.O. Box 1584 1000 Monrovia 10, Liberia Tel: +231-4-777557 Email: [email protected] www.earthtimegroup.com Prepared by Earthtime ii Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Buchanan Renewables Fuel Table of Contents 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENT ...................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION LIBERIA HEALTH UPDATE 5 September 2003 WHO/OMS
    WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION LIBERIA HEALTH UPDATE 5 September 2003 WHO/OMS I. Humanitarian situation in Monrovia: Water and sanitation in general Water and sanitation problems are massive in Liberia, only 32% of Liberia’s population has access to clean drinking water and less than 30% of the people have access to latrines. A large amount of the population depends on wells and many of these wells are not protected. The city of Monrovia has had no regular garbage collection since 1996. Refuse collection has been carried out on an occasional basis by NGOs and the municipality of Monrovia. In March this year, garbage collection collapsed completely. UNICEF and its partners under the Water and Sanitation Committee are taking the lead in solving the garbage problem. New population movements underway Over 90 camps in Monrovia provide shelter to at least 250,000 displaced people. According to latest information, a new population wave is on the move towards Monrovia. Over 50,000 people are fleeing from fighting in Totota in Bomi County toward Salala and a few have been reported to trickle into Monrovia to escape the rebels. UN agencies and NGOs are working on contingency plans to avoid the arrival of more internally displaced people in the already overcrowded camps in the capital. Humanitarian aid agencies hope to halt the population movement to Salala, Bomi County. Situation in the camps in Monrovia About 45,000 displaced people live in the SKD Stadium which is the biggest camp in Monrovia. Daily heavy rainfall makes living conditions in the camp even more difficult.
    [Show full text]
  • There Are Two Systems of Surveillance Operating in Burundi at Present
    LIVELIHOOD ZONING ACTIVITY IN LIBERIA - UPDATE A SPECIAL REPORT BY THE FAMINE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM NETWORK (FEWS NET) May 2017 1 LIVELIHOOD ZONING ACTIVITY IN LIBERIA - UPDATE A SPECIAL REPORT BY THE FAMINE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM NETWORK (FEWS NET) April 2017 This publication was prepared by Stephen Browne and Amadou Diop for the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), in collaboration with the Liberian Ministry of Agriculture, USAID Liberia, WFP, and FAO. The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. Page 2 of 60 Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... 4 Acronyms and Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... 5 Background and Introduction......................................................................................................... 6 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 8 National Livelihood Zone Map .......................................................................................................12 National Seasonal Calendar ..........................................................................................................13 Timeline of Shocks and Hazards ....................................................................................................14
    [Show full text]
  • Electoral District No. 1 2011 Nimba County Guinea
    Legend Nimba County " Voter Registration Center Guinea Electoral District No. 1 County Boundary 2011 Electoral District Boundary Voter Registration Centers Administrative District Boundary 33078 VRC Amalgamated Area Boundary " Name Total 33077 Code " 33081 33073 " 33032 Pledehyee Public School " 329 33072 " Whipa Two " 33079 33069 Gbloyee United Methodist Sch. 33069 " " 33080 2 ,193 33071 " 33075 33071 Small Ganta Palava Hut 936 ³ Gbuyee Two " " 33074 33072 J.W. Pearlson School 1 ,966 33073 YMCA High School 2 ,078 33076 BONG " 33074 Yini High School 1 ,641 Dingamon One 33075 Messiah Christian Academy 2 ,384 33076 Geolando Public School 3 ,004 33077 Vision International School 1 ,585 Foundation Academic Day 33078 Care & Elem School 1 ,583 Nengben Four 33132 33079 Gbartu Quarter Palava Hut 2 ,926 " 33080 Liberty Christian Institute 1 ,665 Garr-Bain 33081 Ganta Rehab Palava Hut 714 33132 George Dumber School 1 ,144 33188 " Tonglaywin One 33188 Yelekoryee Public School 270 33032 " Total Registrants (After Exhibition): 24,418 Dormah Three ED 1 Yelekoryee Five Voter registration centers have been Kpein assigned to electoral districts. Therefore, Meinpea-Mahn Leewehpea-Mahn a person is assigned to the same Whenten electoral district of the center where he or she registered. NOTE: Administrative unit boundaries shown here do not represent official endorsement by the National Elections Commission or the Government of Liberia. The final roll of registrants (after the The process for the accurate demarcation and Exhibition Exercise) is displayed. The mapping of administrative units is currently on-going. Upon completion of this process, the Government of TunuKpuyee provisional roll was utilized during the Liberia shall release the official boundaries for the delineation exercise.
    [Show full text]
  • Iv. Liberia's Rural Finance and Agricultural Marketing
    IV. LIBERIA’S RURAL FINANCE AND AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SUB-SECTORS By Chet Aeschliman, FAO–RAF Rural Finance and Marketing Officer with contributions from Alfonso J. Wesseh, National Rural Finance and Marketing, Consultant, FAO Liberia 2007 IV. Liberia’s rural finance and agricultural marketing sub-sectors 142 CAAS-Lib Sub-Sector Reports Volume 2.2 ACRONYMS ACDB Agricultural Cooperative Development Bank of Liberia ACDI Agricultural Cooperative Development International of the United States ADB African Development Bank AFRACA African Rural & Agricultural Credit Association The United States Government’s "African Growth & Opportunity Act" programme AGOA to promote African exports to the USA BIVAC A private firm certifying the quality of exports from Liberia BNF Bureau of National Fisheries CARE Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere, an international NGO CARI Central Agricultural Research Institute of Liberia (Gbarnga, Bong Country) CBL Central Bank of Liberia CBO Community-based organizations CDA Cooperative Development Authority CLUSA Cooperative League of the United States CRS Catholic Relief Services, an international NGO CU Credit union, i.e. a savings and credit cooperative or association EAC A Liberian company formerly owning part of the LBDI ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAOR The FAO Representative or the entire Representation in Liberia FFA Farmers’ field school FX Foreign exchange GOL Government of Liberia IAS International
    [Show full text]
  • Europe COVID-19 Tracker Free to View Economics - Europe
    23 June 2021 Europe COVID-19 tracker Free to View Economics - Europe Falling cases, rising prices While headline case numbers are still falling on the continent, the Chris Hare Senior Economist Delta variant is on the rise… HSBC Bank plc …which could risk reopening delays but is unlikely to scupper the recovery, given vaccines and business confidence Supply-demand imbalances could be lifting inflation but, in the eurozone at least, most pressures should prove temporary Delta dominance COVID-19 case numbers continue to fall across most of the continent (Chart 1), as does intensive care occupancy (Chart 2), while the vaccine rollout continues at a rapid pace (Chart 3). And countries are continuing along their reopening roadmaps. In Germany, case levels are now low enough to allow for the resumption of indoor restaurant dining, nightclubs in Catalonia reopened on 21 June (albeit with a 3.30am curfew) and from 28 June, outdoor mask wearing will no longer be required in Italy. There are rising concerns, however, about the spread of the Delta variant. It may now account for almost all new cases in the UK and Portugal and around a quarter in Italy (Chart 5). The European Centre for Disease Control has estimated that the variant will account for 90% of European cases by the end of August (AFP, 23 June). The big question is whether this risks plans for further reopening. The UK, where cases are rising sharply, is a litmus test. While hospitalisations remain low (Chart 7), the spread of the variant was enough to delay a further easing from 21 June to 19 July in England.
    [Show full text]