G20 health ministers discuss impact of coronavirus on industry

The G20 health ministers began a virtual meeting on Sunday to discuss the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic on the health sector and the use of digital resources for coordination between countries, various sources reported. The group, under the rotating presidency of Saudi Arabia, reported on its Twitter account the start of the meeting, the second of health headlines in a month, while the official television Al Ijbariya detailed that they will discuss mechanisms to "maintain patient safety and treat cases" urgent.

The G20 previously reported that during the meeting, which will be attended by invited nations and organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, health practices and the prioritization of being prepared for the pandemic will be discussed. In addition, the ministers, led by Saudi Arabia's Taufiq al Rabia, will address the use of digital solutions to coordinate, the need to include all segments of the population in the response, and methods to maintain patient safety. As part of a series of extraordinary meetings of leaders and ministers from different portfolios of the group, the G20 Health heads already met last month and agreed to develop a package of "urgent" measures to act together against COVID-19.

The coronavirus pandemic experienced a new surge worldwide between Friday and Saturday, with Europe and the Americas remaining the most affected continents, accounting for almost 80% of cases. According to WHO data, the number of global cases of COVID-19 has risen to at least 2.16 million after it registered 90,000 new infections, another record figure, confirming the continued spread of the disease.