Versions Compared
Key
- This line was added.
- This line was removed.
- Formatting was changed.
Overview
Image Modified
This page will provide links to IM reference material, guidance, standards, templates, and examples of products and services related to COVID-19 preparedness and response activities. It is intended for OCHA IMOs but other humanitarians may find helpful resources.
The page is a living document and will be updated as new information becomes available. Please leave a comment below if you have additional information, comments, suggestions for this page. More information can be found on the infectious disease events page of the toolbox
Remember this is a health emergency and WHO/Health sector/clusters are leading and playing a vital role in the preparedness and response. They must be part of IMWGs/Networks. For more information is the role of the health sector please see: Infectious Disease Event Toolbox page
Communication Material
All communications content related to COVID-19 can be found at https://trello.com/b/3CUr5trS/ocha-covid-19-global-humanitarian-response-plan. This includes key messages, remarks by UN senior managers, social media messages, graphic cards, etc.
Humanitarian Icons for COVID-19
The Design & Multimedia Unit (DMU), with contributions from ROAP and the Yemen operation, has released COVID-19 specific icons. They are part of the wider humanitarian icon set that was released in 2018. The new icons include symbols for COVID-19, lockdown, social distancing, infection prevention, testing, infected and case management. There are currently available in AI, SVG and PNG formats. In the AI file, the new icons are under the sections Health and Lockdown.
They can all be found on the OCHA Visual Knowledge Base and on dropbox
Humanitarianresponse.info for COVID-19
Note: HR.info has been archived in 2022 and replaced by the ReliefWeb Response platform
Offices are encouraged to provide a box on the front page with related COVID-19 guidance material from national responders (e.g. National government, etc.) and global experts (WHO, etc) and if relevant a page dedicated to COVID-19 activities in your country. Templates for both these services are provided in the link below and examples are also available.
Examples
Front page box (South Sudan)
Topic page (Sudan)
3W
The recommendation for country-level 3W is that:
OCHA country offices should include humanitarian COVID-19 activities into their existing inter-cluster 3/4/5W.
The inter-cluster 3W should now include: non-COVID-19 activities (i.e. area A in the graph-- original HRP activities that are being implemented or new activities such as locust interventions), and COVID-19 non-health (i.e area B in the graph) and COVID-19 health (i.e. area C in the graph) interventions.
A “status” field should be included indicating if there is a disruption of existing activities (“ongoing”, “postponed” due to COVID, or “cancelled” due to COVID).
A new field should be added indicating if an activity is specific to “COVID-19” or “non-COVID-19”. Entities submitting 3W data may determine which option to select according to the funding for their project, if earmarked for COVID-19, or see point 35 in the HRP Q&A.
Some clusters are standardizing a COVID-19 set of activities at global level. These should be used at country level. For other clusters, encourage country-level clusters to standardize and align with the monitoring framework.
In countries where there is a 3W specific to the PRP, the OCHA country office should liaise with the entity managing the PRP 3W (if not done by OCHA) on the data submission process, so that organizations do not have to double-report if there is an overlap with the inter-sector 3W.
Image Removed
Some other 3W product(s) identified to date include:
- COVID-19 3W Regional: Identifies the preparedness and response activities taking place in non-OCHA countries. It is based on the 8 Pillars for COVID-19 from WHO. The geographic framework is typically the COD-AB P-Code but for ROWCA it is based on health zones. This data is currently placed on dashboards from OCHA regional offices.
- COVID-19 3W Country: Identifies the preparedness and response activities taking place in non-OCHA countries. It is based on the 8 Pillars for COVID-19 from WHO and related activities for each sector. Note that there are Sphere specific standards for COVID-19 . There are many considerations with this: geographic reference, IM cycle, responsibilities, etc)
- Normal HRP 4/5W: monitoring of HRP activities for countries that currently have an HRP. To be collected in the country from humanitarian partners. COVID-19 impacts need to be discussed with partners
- Disruption 3W: Identifies impact COVID-19 has on current HRP activities. It is the same as the 4/5W with an additional column to identify if the activity has been impacted by COVID-19 for countries that have an HRP (e.g. delayed, re-programed, canceled, ect). A column could also be introduced to identify what caused the disruption (e.g. access blocked due to lockdown where beneficiaries are located, lack of supplies, etc).
- Global 3W: Potential for a global3W that identifies the status of the 8 WHO pillars and /or a disruption (currently in discussion - this will impact other 3W and templates will be provided. Stay tuned.
Considerations:
Frequency, format, andConsiderations:
Frequency, format, and timing with current 3W collection
COVID-19 Activities and HPC Tools
Geographic framework (COD-AB, PCodes vs Health Zones)
Roles and responsibilities
Overlap with WHO health-related activities
Connection to monitoring
Examples
(ROWCA)(Philippines) (Haiti)
3W infographics (ROAP)
4W entry form of Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) activities ROAP 4W RCCE dashboard (ROAP 4W RCCE Form) (work in progress)
Resources
Case Studies
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
The Office sent a survey (using Google Forms) to its usual Regional humanitarian partner list. The survey tracks which agencies are doing (or could be doing) which of the nine response activities from the WHO Global response plan, in which countries. The resulting infographic from this information is on ReliefWeb.
4W entry form of Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) activities and it's resulting dashboard (work in progress)
Regional Office of West and Central Africa
Preparedness 4W is based on Bangkok approach but uses health zones instead of administrative boundaries as its geographic framework. as well as a 3W based on ROWCA approach.
Regional Office of Latin America and the Caribbean
The office sent a survey using 345W to its usual humanitarian partner list. The survey tracks which agencies are doing) which of the nine response activities from the WHO Global response plan. The resulting infographic from this information is on ReliefWeb.
Global 3W (Headquarters)
The Field Information Section of OCHA in Geneva is compiling basic 3W information from offices to create a global dataset and dashboard. Updating frequency will be ad-hoc based on data availability.
Datasets and Data Repositories
There are many locations to find data related to COVID. Remember HDX is doing some of this searching for you and have created a dedicated page for COVID-19. IMWG partners should be consulted for the most recent information available at the national level and for details of the processes. See other links below.. See other links below.
OCHA Global 3W : 3W from OCHA offices compiled at headquarter level
HDX page for COVID-19 - compilation of datasets from various sources (remember to share your data here)
WHO identification of datasets available (contact your WHO colleague fro more information or contact FIS) Standards for Public Health Information Services in Activated Health Clusters and Other Humanitarian Health Coordination Mechanisms and WHO PHIS Standards
Logistics Cluster main page for all information related to logistics
Global School closures (UNESCO - UNICEF also uses this data so check with your UNICEF colleague for more updated national datasets)
Worldwide travel restrictions dashboard (Mobile version) The main data source is the IATA website, but apparently, it is not updated very frequently so it is supplemented with info coming from other media. If you notice that some of the information displayed is out of date, do not hesitate to let WFP know (andrea.amparore at wfp.org)
IOM mobility restrictions - To better understand how COVID-19 affects global mobility,
the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
has been working to map the impacts on human mobility, at Global, Regional and Country level. (ask your IOM partner for more information)
Global Protection Cluster COVID-19 -A dashboard provides data on the protection field operations with confirmed COVID-19 cases etc
UNICEF Indirect impact Dashboard Provides data on COVID-19 impact on travel, lockdowns, educational, service disruption, healthcare
UNICEF Dashboard on government responses to COVID-19 and the affected populations
Open Street Map - The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) has activated several COVID-19 mapping activities
Global COVID19 profiles for each nation/geography from the Pacific Disaster Center, Data and Science teams (not exactly datasets but includes some key numbers that could be referenced) Also provide dashboards to other datasets related to COVID-19
ACAPS datasets Includes
a Global Government Measures Dataset
PDC Global COVID Dashboard: great resource, the information is provided by country at country level (and below in some cases)
Health Geolab Collaborative - This page has been created to allow practitioners across the region to find resources related to the management and use of geospatial data and technologies during the response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
COVID-19 GIS Hub: From Esri is designed to gather and share relevant and authoritative community-driven resources from around the world. Read more.
UN-SPIDER - a compilation of dashboards, maps, etc related to COVID-19
OGS Data lists - collated the below of geospatial / location data and services provided by OGS members to help you better understand the impact of COVID-19
http://covidhumanitarian.com a site that amalgamates tools and guidance from different sectors /agencies specifically for Humanitarian responding to COVID-19 (its a really nice site)
For all documents, data sets, and communications use the tag COVID-19 to allow for easier searching and if possible include the glide number EP-2020-000012-001 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak - Jan 2020
Consider the FAQ from IASC Sub-Group on Data Responsibility
Monitoring
Stay tuned! Discussions underway and more info coming
The GHRP indicators are in the published document, and also in the Annex. This should be the basis for any structured monitoring of the COVID-19 response. Note that for all Health interventions and anything else covered by the national PRPs / global SPRP, the WHO monitoring framework (8 pillars) also needs to be used.
Resources
For the most recent GHRP guidance see COVID-19 page on OCHA Hub
- HRP Monitoring Indicators
HRP Monitoring Indicators (annex of GHRP)
INFORM COVID-19 Approach and INFORM P2P Epidemic Risk Index. Work is ongoing to develop a COVID-specific risk index and hopefully will publish it this week (16/04/2020)
Products
More info coming as it becomes available.
The decision to issue a Situation Report or Flash Update on COVID-19 rests with the Head of Office, who should also clear the final product. As general guidance, OCHA information products on COVID-19 should include more than just health updates covered by WHO.
A Flash Update is intended to be a short update on a fast-developing situation, usually issued at the beginning of an acute crisis. A Situation Report provides more details and organizes information by sector and other categories. Ideally, Flash Updates should quickly transition into full Situation Reports as more information becomes available (or cease publication if the crisis has passed).
If creating a Situation Report or Flash Update on COVID-19, please use the digital sitrep platform (DSR) if this has already been adopted in your office. If your office hasn't adopted the DSR and would like to, please contact Andrej Verity (verity@un.org) and Joanna Misiura (misiura@un.org). We encourage you to use the DSR, as this will also help streamline aggregation of reports across offices. Please see a DSR best-practice example here
If your office does not want to use the DSR, please ensure you're using the most recent narrative templates for Situation Reports or Flash Updates, all templates can be found here. Once published, send your SitRep or Flash Update to ReliefWeb (submit@reliefweb.int) with the COVID-19 tag.
Examples
Snapshot (OPT)
Situation Report (South Sudan) (Afghanistan)
ArcGIS online example (Somalia)
IMWG
IMWGs should still try to meet virtually if possible to agree upon the CODs, tools, processes for COVID-19 preparedness and response.
For more tips please see: the Infectious Disease Events toolbox page
Other standards
Metadata
For all documents, data sets, and communications use the tag COVID-19 to allow for easier searching and if possible include the glide number EP-2020-000012-001 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak - Jan 2020
GLIDE Number
The GLIDE number for the COVID-19 Response is EP-2020-000012-001 This is being used by Reliefweb. It can be added to products as part of the credits or metadata in HDX.
There are also GLIDE numbers for specific outbreaks (locations/countries) see the GLIDE site for more info (hint: filter by 'epidemics')
WHO Pillars for COVID-19 Response
To access WHO's COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP)
To access The Operational Planning Guidelines to Support Country Preparedness and Response (includes WHO's 8 Pillars that are included in 3Ws)
IASC COVID-19 Guidance
The IASC Principals are prioritizing the release of critical guidance to support its members and the broader humanitarian community in their ability to continue to deliver humanitarian assistance during a COVID-19 outbreak.
EightEight interim guidance documents on COVID-19, have been developed jointly by a number of the IASC members and/or IASC Reference Groups. IASC Guidance here
Sphere standards
Specific Sphere standards have been developed or identified for COVID-19 response. See the specific list and guidance on here: Sphere Standards for COVID-19
Style Guide
Definition from the World Health Organization: Coronaviruses
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19. COVID-19 is the name given by the World Health Organization for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 is an acronym that stands for coronavirus disease of 2019.
Referring to simply the coronavirus is acceptable on first reference in writing about COVID-19. While the phrasing incorrectly implies that there is only one coronavirus, it is clear in this context. Also acceptable on first reference: the new coronavirus; the new virus; COVID-19.
Do not refer simply to coronavirus without the article the. Not: She is concerned about coronavirus. Omitting the is acceptable in headlines and in uses such as: He said coronavirus concerns are increasing.
All weekly style tips can be found on the OCHA Hub, within the Strategic and Communications Branch (SCB) site.
Health care
Health care is a noun; health-care is an adjective.
Examples:
The majority of people have no access to health care. (noun)
Health-care programmes are now active in the south. (adj.)
Support to OCHA offices
If you have questions or require support please contact the FIS Team, who will provide many services to OCHA offices. To see the full list see:
There is the possibility to acquire additional remote support from SBPP. Contact FIS for more info
MapAction is providing support via a global mechanism. Contact FIS for more information
CartONG: Practical COVID-19 IM Resources for Aid Actors (updated regularly and covers a number of IM topics)
Main Reference Links
COVID-19 GLIDE number: EP-2020-000012-001 (For all documents, data sets, and communications use the tag COVID-19 to allow for easier searching and if possible include the glide number)
OCHA
OCHA COVID-19 hub page (OCHA only)
For the most recent GHRP guidance see COVID-19 page on OCHA Hub
PARTNERS
WHO COVID-19 Partners Platform (WHO Pillars and SPRP)
CartONG: Practical COVID-19 IM Resources for Aid Actors (updated regularly)