WHO Philippines worked closely with civil society organization People in Need (PIN) to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake among vulnerable groups in Manicani Island. The cooperation between communities, local government, health units, PIN, and WHO led to a successful initiative. World Health Organization Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19 (SPRP) highlights the importance of mobilizing communities to ensure that every sector of government and society participates in the COVID-19 response and in preventing cases at individual and community levels through various public health approaches.  Manicani is an island in the Eastern Samar province of the Philippines. Its remote geographical location makes it challenging for its residents to access health services.  https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news-room/photo-story/photo-story-detail/philippines--local-health-workers-champion-covid-19-safety-on-remote-islands photo story. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

(From left to right) Luisa Sukamanu, Miliana Caviyawa, Mele Tinai, and Mariana Siliva pose for a photo during the COVID-19 vaccination community outreach at Gusuisavu Village in Naitasiri, Fiji. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Medical staff of the Valelevu Health Center play volleyball as part of their regular Wellness Wednesday activity organized to practice work-life balance. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Scenic view of Kampot Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the contents of this image might not be directly related to COVID, processes reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Herbert, a patient at the medical ward, smiles after receiving therapeutic treatment at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Pregnant women from Hmong community in Khangkhao Village reads a booklet on antenatal care.   Read the feature stories: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/people/pa-vang-laos   https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news-room/feature-stories/item/reaching-the-unreached-in-the-western-pacific Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the contents of this image might not be directly related to COVID, processes reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Flooded shoreline area in Kiribati, a global warming effect.

Teresa Koratsi (2nd from left) and Clare Valaki (far left), Health Extension Officers of Businesses for Health (B4H), presents a poster outlining COVID-19 safety to a crowd at Happy Supermarket in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.  The organization's goal is to reach vulnerable communities that may not have been reached by campaigns about COVID-19 or TB.   https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news-room/photo-story/photo-story-detail/papua-new-guinea--the-one-on-one-personal-approach-goes-to-work-for-covid-19-protection photo story. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Basil Pere, Health Promotions Officer of Businesses for Health (B4H), sets up the B4H booth at Six Mile in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.  With the support of World Health Organization, B4H started the ‘Small Business Project’ to educate businesses about COVID-19 infection prevention and control.   https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news-room/photo-story/photo-story-detail/papua-new-guinea--the-one-on-one-personal-approach-goes-to-work-for-covid-19-protection photo story. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

An ophthalmologist examines the eyesight of a patient at the Soum Health Centre in Gobisumber. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the contents of this image might not be directly related to COVID, processes reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Surgical team prepares for an eye surgery at the Vila Central Hospital Eye Clinic. Vanuatu is an early implementer of the WHO Action Framework on safe and affordable surgery. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Lifesavers rescues a drowning swimmer during a mockup lifesaving practice at Aoshima Beach in Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture, south western Japan, 10 July 2021. Japan Lifesaving Association has worked for drowning prevention program to educate new licensed lifesavers and conduct the junior programs for water safety as well as using and developing new technology to assist lifesaving activities.

Candidates and the voluntary support team of HKLSS help set up and clean up the examination venue. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

A WHO field staff visits an outer island of Kiribati.

Members of the Guam National Guard (GUNG) assist travelers checking into a mandatory 14-day quarantine at the Dusit Beach Resort Guam after arriving in Guam from Honolulu on 12 February, 2021. Shown from left to right: Technical Sergeant Amy Baleto; Sergeant Michael Guiao; Specialist Graynold Grande. The hotel is being used as the official quarantine facility for the vast majority of inbound civilian travelers. Like many Pacific islands, Guam has imposed strict precautionary rules on inbound passengers, mandating a 14-day quarantine for virtually everyone arriving in the US territory. At the Guam International Airport, GUNG and Guam Department of Health and Social Services work together to screen incoming passengers for any signs of illness and to transport travelers to the official quarantine facility. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Nimos Salik answers questions from a COVID-19 medical form asked by Rachel Anne Sanz, RN, at the Yigo Gym in Guam on 12 February, 2021. The gymnasium has been temporarily repurposed by the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) for COVID-19 community testing and vaccinations, with the Guam National Guard assisting. Today’s event in Yigo was the first time DPHSS offered testing and vaccinations at the same site. This specific event was marketed to attract people of Kosraean descent living in Guam. Kosrae is one of the four island states of the Federated States of Micronesia, located in the North Pacific roughly 1,400 miles from Guam. DPHSS worked with the FSM consulate in Guam to notify the community that there would be translators and translated forms available. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Women in traditional costume (Hanbok) at Gyeongbokgung Palace

A fruit and flower vendor in Moorea hopes that tourists will return soon. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Firefighters from the Paea commune brought a woman in respiratory distress to a hospital in Pirae. The team suspects that she has contracted COVID-19. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

A Bruneian Muslim (C) reads a Quran at a mass prayer to celebrate the country's 37th National Day at Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque in the Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan prior to February 22, 2021. The authority imposes strict rules that all devotees to wear mask, scan QR codes, body temperature check and to bring own prayer mat to the mosque. Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

Landscape of Tonga.

Sherrun Cheung, a nurse in Morse Park Test Centre working 12-hours shift, said “most people don’t understand the procedure and feel nervous, especially elderly. I will try to comfort them and act quick to collect the samples. Surprisingly, I always have them cheer me up and thanks for what I’ve done in the job after the test.” Disclaimer: This image was captured during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of this image reflect the guidance communicated by local public health authorities at the time of its capture. Please note, public health guidance differs among countries and is indicative of the local context.

A health inspector checks the arriving passengers in Tuvalu airport.

Landscape of Niue.

Nurses from the nearest health center on house call for post-natal care home to monitor the health status of the mother and child.

A pottery studio in Ho Chi Minh City.

Children at a beach in Nauru.

Restaurant in Lao People's Democratic Republic

Residents doing outdoor activities despite the smog

Cemetery in Devonport

Elderly people dancing

WHO representatives with students of a local medical university conducting a simulation of medical evacuation and hospitalization of patients to an emergency tent at the Ministry of Health compound in Bangkok, Thailand.

A made-up road

A man washes his hands near a water canal at the WHO compound in Bangkok, Thailand.

A wedding in Tonga.

A local spends afternoon in a hut she built in Palau

A farmer in Yen Bai province

Lord Liverpool Hospital ambulance drivers in Niue.

A staff of Habitat for Humanity, a non-government organization, prepares for work in his van. The Habitat for Humanity provides home repair services to the low income families as a preventative measure for rheumatic fever in Auckland.

Sunset view by the beach in Nauru

Ghislain Santacroce: beef farmer, cow boy and well-known figure in the world of farming in New Caledonia

Nurse prepares medicines for patients at the Centre hospitalier spécialisé Albert-Bousquet

Portrait of a farmer

Health workers taking the blood pressure of a patient in Tupapa Community Clinic in Rotatonga.

DOCTOR HELI, Iwate Medical University Emergency medical services, also called Air Ambulance or HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) are available in Japan. In Japan, they are called “Doctor Helicopters” to emphasize the fact the doctors are on board and that they fly to the patients to provide treatment as soon as possible.

Saifuddin Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan

Dr Kim Woong-han, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Seoul National University Child's Hospital

A couple collecting coconuts in Funafuti

A woman coming back from a field in Port Vila

Traditional production of Sakau, Enpein ecotourism site

Portrait of a woman from Pohnpei