In This Edition

Key Takeaways

The UK, with 29,500 deaths, has the highest in Europe. An EU fundraising conference raises $8b for vaccine research, notably lacking donations from the US, Russia, or China. The European Commission warns that the coronavirus crisis risks exacerbating economic and social divisions within the EU and threatening the stability of the euro area.

Conditions Updates

A rundown of important global developments in markets, in business, and region-by-region, as well as statistical risk assessments by country and by US state.

U.S. Cannabis Industry in the COVID-19 Era

Despite the fact that cannabis companies have been classified as “essential businesses” in most states, the industry faces significant financial and regulatory headwinds. Already, there has been a flurry of cannabis-related mergers, acquisitions and business failures. An additional area of concern for cannabis is the industry’s inability to access traditional banking services. Despite the downturn, investors remain optimistic and are waiting for regulatory signals from state and federal legislators.

Science under the Scope: WHO Partner Coordination around the World

WHO coordinates international outbreak response using resources from the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). The WHO global COVID-19 incident management team, based out of Geneva, Switzerland, have been working with partners to train and deploy emergency medical teams (EMTs) around the world.

Country in Focus: India 

Case numbers in India, although low, are spiking and mass movements reminiscent of China’s Lunar New Year do not bode well. Both economic data and raging protests suggest that the economy is facing severe challenges. India faces the same fundamental question being raised around the globe of when to reopen, but India’s unique context forces policymakers to balance the risk of mass starvation and protests with a potentially devastating outbreak.

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