In collaboration with Duke Kunshan University GlobalHealth Research Center
The global COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in 618,155,539 cases of the disease around the world, leading to 6,533,516 deaths.4 Since its emergence, COVID-19 has produced widespread social and economic uncertainty on a global scale. Health systems have been under enormous pressure, notably due to the impact of the virus on people living with non-communicable diseases (PLWNCDs) and the difficulties it caused for the management of NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, as well as mental health disorders). Developing countries, which account for more than 80% of the global disease burden of NCDs,5 are exposed to the exacerbated impact of COVID-19 as they often suffer from a lack of health service resources and capacity.6