Characterizing food systems to better understand their vulnerabilities: a case study in Québec and São Paulo

Characterizing food systems, i.e., describing their organizational features, can help to generate a better understanding of the structural vulnerabilities that constrain transitions towards sustainable food security. However, their characterization across different economic contexts remains challenging. In this paper, by linking key concepts from research on food regimes, food system vulnerabilities and responsible innovation, we aim to characterize food systems in a developing and a developed economy to identify their shared vulnerabilities. We applied a case study design to characterize food production, processing and distribution in the province of Québec (Canada) and in the state of São Paulo (Brazil). In both cases, the processing and distribution stages have higher economic predominance when compared to the agricultural production stage. Furthermore, we observed concentration in a few activities in both food systems, with a shared focus on export-oriented supply chains. Vulnerabilities in both food systems include: (1) increased interdependence because some supply chains are export-oriented or depend on foreign labor and are, therefore, exposed to external risks;(2) concentration in a few activities, which threatens present and future local food diversity and (3) unequal power relations, making small and medium players vulnerable to decisions made by big players. The characterization developed in this study shows that the two food systems are mainly pursuing economic goals, following the institutional logics of the neoliberal food regime, which are not necessarily aligned with food security goals. It also exposes the presence of characteristics of ‘responsibility' that may eventually help overcome food systems' vulnerabilities and support transitions toward sustainability.

Security Vulnerability in Face Mask Monitoring System

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for face mask detection systems that utilize deep learning and machine learning algorithms. However, these systems are susceptible to adversarial attacks, where an attacker can manipulate the system to make incorrect predictions. This study aimed to test the vulnerability of a deep learning-based face mask detection model to a specific type of attack called a black box adversarial attack in which the attacker possesses only partial information about the target model. The study's findings showed that the attack successfully reduced the model's accuracy from 96.48% to 49.25%. This emphasizes the need for more robust defense mechanisms in face mask detection systems to ensure their reliability. © 2023 Bharati Vidyapeeth, New Delhi.

Managing COVID-19 and health vulnerabilities: mHealth user experience, information quality and policy recommendations

The interplay between how people use mobile health (mHealth) technologies and its quality information for managing their health vulnerabilities in line with their protected characteristics remains unclear and underexplored. This paper examines the intersections between mHealth users' experiences, information quality issues, and everyday health vulnerabilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic by drawing on the theory of planned behaviour and technology acceptance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixty-three participants across three cities: Accra, Lagos and London, to illustrate how barriers to mHealth adoption, and information quality issues, including security and privacy concerns, interact to shape the mHealth user experience. The findings show that key barriers to mHealth user experience and health information quality vary considerably across location and protected characteristics. The paper calls for inclusive and quality mHealth systems in managing health vulnerabilities towards assuring pandemic preparedness and response. By so doing, it contributes to scholarship on the interconnected need for quality information in the context of COVID-19, and highlights the policy implications for mHealth user experience and healthcare delivery. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Development Planning Review is the property of Liverpool University Press / Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Unique vulnerability: perceived risk in aging adults

Approximately 73 million Americans are age 65 or older and as this population group is expected to steadily rise, research designed to aid in understanding factors influential in their health-related perceptions becomes ever more necessary. Using a cross-sectional design, the present study investigated the perception of unique vulnerability in aging adults as a function of their proximity of exposure to illness or injury. Proximity of exposure refers to the relationship between an individual and the person experiencing the illness or injury (distant acquaintance, close acquaintance, or self). Likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data collected returned results varying from those expected. Participants from each age category reported feelings of vulnerability, financial concerns, and proximity to illness, injury, and death. Uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly caused wide-spread vulnerabilities, and while data analysis in several key areas supports the presence of unique vulnerability in aging adults, future research is still needed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Social Vulnerability and Macroeconomic Forecast: A Review from the Current Context.

In the current context, various factors add to the existing social and economic crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which, when articulated with common conflicting facts, increase projections regarding the slowdown in the economy, with an impact on inflation and declines in global economic growth. As part of the adverse effects of these variables, if the increase in the cost of basic products and services was anticipated, the supply chain escaped, food safety, the widening of social gaps, poverty, contributing to the massification of restrictive medicines, increasing vulnerabilities in social and political scenarios, in addition to less dynamism in the global economy, in the availability of food resources, increases in energy prices, inflationary pressure, among others. Previously, this investigative note explores the macroeconomic forecast, taking as reference the informants of the year 2022 brought by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Economic Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Inter-American Development Bank. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] En el contexto actual, diversos factores se suman a la crisis social y económica a existente, como la pandemia COVID-19 y la invasión rusa a Ucrania que, al articularse con los hechos conflictivos comunes, aumentan las proyecciones con respecto a la desaceleración de la economía, con incidencia en la inflación y mermas en el crecimiento económico global. Como parte de los efectos adversos de estas va1riables, se prevé el aumento en el costo de los productos y servicios básicos, escasez en la cadena de suministros, inseguridad alimentaria, ampliación de las brechas sociales, de la pobreza, contribuyendo a la toma de medidas restrictivas, aumentando las vulnerabilidades en los escenarios sociales y en materia política, además de un menor dinamismo en la economía global, en la disponibilidad de recursos alimentarios, aumentos de los precios de la energía, presión inflacionaria, entre otros. En virtud de lo anterior, la presente nota de investigación explora la prognosis macroeconómica, tomando como referentes los informes del año 2022 aportados por el Banco Mundial, el Fondo Monetario Internacional, la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe y el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Revista de Filosofía is the property of Revista de Filosofia-Universidad del Zulia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Geographic heterogeneity of the epidemiological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy using a socioeconomic proxy-based classification of the national territory.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the differences in incidence, non-intensive care unit (non-ICU) and intensive care unit (ICU) hospital admissions, and COVID-19-related mortality between the "inner areas" of Italy and its metropolitan areas. Study design: Retrospective population-based study conducted from the beginning of the pandemic in Italy (20 February 2020) to 31 March 2022. Methods: The municipalities of Italy were classified into metropolitan areas, peri-urban/intermediate areas and "inner areas" (peripheral/ultra-peripheral). The exposure variable was residence in an "inner area" of Italy. Incidence of diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, non-ICU and ICU hospital admissions and death within 30 days from diagnosis were the outcomes of the study. COVID-19 vaccination access was also evaluated. Crude and age-standardized rates were calculated for all the study outcomes. The association between the type of area of residence and each outcome under study was evaluated by calculating the ratios between the standardized rates. All the analyses were stratified by period of observation (original Wuhan strain, Alpha variant, Delta variant, Omicron variant). Results: Incidence and non-ICUs admissions rates were lower in "inner areas." ICU admission and mortality rates were much lower in "inner areas" in the early phases of the pandemic, but this protection progressively diminished, with a slight excess risk observed in the "inner areas" during the Omicron period. The greater vaccination coverage in metropolitan areas may explain this trend. Conclusion: Prioritizing healthcare planning through the strengthening of the primary prevention policies in the peripheral areas of Italy is fundamental to guarantee health equity policies.

Food Safety: A Critical Review Based on SDG 2.

This paper aims to analyze the issue of food security, articulating it with the relevance of achieving SDG 2, as one of the fundamental objectives set by the United Nations Organization for Sustainable Development (2015). To achieve this end, the research focuses on four fundamental aspects: 1. The relevance of food security in the global context and the need for timely access to food for individuals, without neglecting the asymmetric structural contexts on the planet, such as hunger and poverty, which limit the conditions for development (FAO, 2009). 2. The relevance of SDG 2 for food security, the production of goods and food effectively, preventing actions that threaten life on the planet (Cóndor et. al, 2022). 3. The presence of people who suffer from hunger in the Latin American and Caribbean region, which has been on the rise since the 2010s and which limits the possibilities of access to sustainability and better living conditions (ECLAC, 2019), a fact that has been intensified with the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic (FAO, 2021). 4. The COVID-19 pandemic that has given rise to new vulnerabilities and conditions for access to food, resulting, among other things, in the stunted growth of infants under five years of age. The method used is documentary review. It concludes on the relevance of food security for the achievement of sustainable development, for the reduction of poverty and structural asymmetric conditions, without failing to recognize the distance that exists to reach the fulfillment of these objectives, especially in convulsive scenarios such as those of the global South. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] El artículo tiene por objetivo analizar el tema de la seguridad alimentaria, articulándolo con la pertinencia de alcanzar el ODS 2, como uno de los objetivos fundamentales planteados por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo sostenible (2015). Para lograr tal fin, la investigación se centra en cuatro aspectos fundamentales: 1. La relevancia de la seguridad alimentaria en el contexto global y la necesidad del oportuno acceso a la alimentación de los individuos, sin dejar de lado los contextos asimétricos estructurales en el planeta, como el hambre y la pobreza, que limitan las condiciones para el desarrollo (FAO, 2009). 2. La pertinencia del ODS 2 para la seguridad alimentaria, la producción de bienes y alimentos de forma efectiva, evitando acciones que atenten contra la vida en el planeta (Cóndor et. al, 2022). 3. La presencia de personas que padecen hambre en la región latinoamericana y caribeña, que viene en ascenso desde la década del 2010 y que limita las posibilidades de acceso a la sostenibilidad y mejores condiciones de vida (CEPAL, 2019), hecho que se ha intensificado con la presencia de la pandemia COVID-19 (FAO, 2021). 4. La pandemia COVID-19 que ha dado lugar a nuevas vulnerabilidades y condicionamientos para el acceso a la alimentación, resultando, entre otras cosas, en el retraso de crecimiento de infantes menores de cinco años. El método utilizado es la revisión documental. Se concluye en la relevancia de la seguridad alimentaria para el logro del desarrollo sostenible, para la disminución de la pobreza y de condiciones asimétricas estructurales, sin dejar de reconocer la distancia que existe para llegar al cumplimiento de estos objetivos, especialmente en escenarios convulsos como los del Sur global. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Revista de Filosofía is the property of Revista de Filosofia-Universidad del Zulia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Vulnerable social enterprises: sensemaking of the COVID-19 crisis in the Czech Republic

PurposeDrawing on Weick's sensemaking perspective, this study aims to describe how Czech social entrepreneurs shape the shared meaning of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and what approaches to the crisis the sensemaking process leads to.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on the principles of grounded theory. Through in-depth interviews with 25 social entrepreneurs, it captures the entrepreneurs' experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of their understanding of social enterprise identity. Interviews with experts in the field of social entrepreneurship were also conducted to help achieve a deeper analysis of the entrepreneurial cases.FindingsResults of research show that despite the obstacles, most social entrepreneurs arrive at a positive redescription of the crisis. Enterprises not affected by the pandemic adopt a conventional approach. The most vulnerable enterprises are paralyzed and wait with uncertainty for future developments in their enterprise's situation.Practical implicationsAs knowledge of vulnerabilities is a key prerequisite for crisis prevention, this research can serve as a useful material for business incubators and other institutions that provide mentoring and expertise to start-up social entrepreneurs including focus on crisis management implementation.Originality/valueThis study complements the theory of crisis sensemaking with the level of social entrepreneurship, which is characterized by a dichotomy of social and business goals that results in a specific shared meaning of identity which is tied to perceptions of vulnerabilities. This study describes the influence of perceived identity on coping with a crisis.

A Dynamic Theory of Security Free-Riding by Firms in the WFH Age

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically transformed the work-from-home (WFH) paradigm, and expanded an organization's cyber-vulnerability space. We propose a novel strategic method to quantify the degree of sub-optimal cybersecurity in an organization of employees, all of whom work in heterogeneous WFH 'siloes'. Specifically, we model the per-unit cost of asymmetric WFH employees to invest in security-improving effort units as time-discounted exponential martingales over time, and derive as benchmark - the centrally-planned socially optimal aggregate employee effort at any given time instant. We then derive the time-varying strategic Nash equilibrium amount of aggregate employee effort in cybersecurity in a distributed setting. The time-varying ratio of these centralized and distributed estimates quantifies the free riding dynamics, i.e., security sub-optimality, within an organization. Rigorous estimates of the degree of sub-optimal cybersecurity will drive organizational policy makers to design appropriate (customized) solutions that voluntarily incentivize WFH employees to invest in required cybersecurity best practices. © 2022 IEEE.

External challenges to the economic expansion of emerging markets in the post-COVID 19 and post-COP26 era: A balance-of-payments constrained growth (BPCG) perspective

The purpose of this study is to assess, from a Balance of Payment Constraint Growth (BPCG) theoretical perspective, current key challenges of developing countries that spring from two broad exogenous factors. These factors are: i) global shocks that affect the world economy, and ii) major economic policy changes in developed countries. The BPCG perspective helps to identify to what extent these challenges are rooted in the developing countries' vulnerabilities and structural weaknesses linked to their role in international trade and capital markets. To discuss the current uncertain global environment potential implications for developing economies – growing inflation, hawkish monetary policy, cross-border flows redistribution, as well as the geopolitical redefinition of international trade and global value chains, among others - the present work builds a BPCG model for the post-COVID era and applies it to evaluate challenges to growth in six countries: Chile, Colombia, Ghana, India, Mexico, and Turkey.

A Cross-Country Policy-Maker Perspective on Corporate Restructuring Laws Under Stress

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a period of rapid experimentation with insolvency law settings, designed to prevent a wave of insolvencies. Although governments acted quickly to keep debtors out of insolvency processes, they did not alter high levels of underlying indebtedness. In this worsening economic climate characterized by low growth, high inflation, fiscal tightening and high indebtedness, it appears, in certain countries, that these measures may have deferred, rather than prevented, high insolvency levels. A key economic legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic is the extensive fiscal stimulus and the resulting budgetary constraints this has placed on governments. In this context, there is increasing evidence of the importance of frameworks for out-of-court debt workouts as a complement to formal corporate restructuring frameworks. © 2023, The Author(s).

Code blue! Implementing a COVID-19 emergency response, supported by an HIV community program: Communities without borders, a Spanish-Speaking intervention in Toronto, Canada

COVID-19 a new infections agent took the world by surprise. Governments, medical systems, communities, and individuals soon would become familiar with many new terms and many new prevention measurements to avoid infection. To this day, it is unknown what would be the final consequences and impact in populations in the world, how those came to be a "new normal" in our daily lives. Also, it is unknown the number of victims, and economical after-effects result from the new pandemic. This article aims to establish a para parallel in relation to the early days of HIV/AIDS in the world. Keeping in mind the slow governmental, and even irresponsible response in different countries, both cases (HIV/AIDS-COVID-19), present a dimension that shows intermediately from HIV/AIDS organizations response to help communities. The article argues that is precise because we have learned as marginalized communities that reacted at the beginning of the AIDS early days, that HIV/AIDS educators adapted very fast interventions, programs, and counseling to alleviate societal effect pandemic against COVID-19 new infections. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

CyberGeeksMY: Public Awareness on Website Vulnerability and Proposed Idea of 'Smuggy' Prototype

The needs on online-based activities are increasing tremendously as the worldwide is currently in COVID-19 pandemic situation and most people are being bounded to stay at home. Society is forced to learn and adapt with this new normal in all aspects of life from running businesses, conducting online classes and meetings, buying stuffs and communicating with families and friends. This causes high dependency on web applications. The idea of proposing 'Smuggy' prototype has emerged to provide relevant skillsets for web penetration testers specifically and web developers in general. In order to realize the idea, a survey was conducted to gauge for public awareness on website vulnerability as the first part of this research. The scope of survey is on public concerns when browsing reputable websites vs. unfamiliar new ones, which further down to know the reasons why the respondents feel as such. Another part of the survey was to find out the respondents' knowledge on related events of compromised websites and their encounter in discovering web vulnerabilities. With these data as research basis, 'Smuggy' prototype is designed with a focus to educate users about the OWASP top 10 web vulnerabilities so that the vulnerabilities found in today's web applications can be minimized. © 2022 IEEE.

COVID-19: Fear, quackery, false representations and the law.

Fear, anxiety and even paranoia can proliferate during a pandemic. Such conditions, even when subclinical, tend to be a product of personal and predispositional factors, as well as shared cultural influences, including religious, literary, film, and gaming, all of which can lead to emotional and less than rational responses. They can render people vulnerable to engage in implausible conspiracy theories about the causes of illness and governmental responses to it. They can also lead people to give credence to simplistic and unscientific misrepresentations about medications and devices which are claimed to prevent, treat or cure disease. In turn such vulnerability creates predatory opportunities for the unscrupulous. This article notes the eruption of quackery during the 1889-1892 Russian Flu and the 1918-1920 Spanish Flu and the emergence during 2020 of spurious claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies consumer protection strategies and interventions formulated during the 2020 pandemic. Using examples from the United States, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom, it argues that during a pandemic there is a need for three responses by government to the risks posed by conspiracy theories and false representations: calm, scientifically-based messaging from public health authorities; cease and desist warnings directed toward those making extravagant or inappropriate claims; and the taking of assertive and well publicised legal action against individuals and entities that make false representations in order to protect consumers rendered vulnerable by their emotional responses to the phenomenology of the pandemic.

Vulnerabilities and risk perceptions of contracting COVID-19 among Nepali migrant workers.

Social, economic, and demographic characteristics influence public disaster risk perception, including the risk of COVID-19. Migrant workers are one the most vulnerable groups to disasters. More than four million Nepali migrant workers are employed abroad, and millions are working in cities and towns in the country. This study analyzes how the social, economic, and demographic conditions of returning Nepali migrant workers determine their risk perceptions of COVID-19. An online national survey was administered from May 10 to July 30, 2020, targeting returning Nepali migrant workers nationwide. A total of 782 responses from migrant workers were recorded, covering 67 of 74 districts. Using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression models, the results show that migrant workers in blue-collar jobs, female, older than 29 years, with pre-existing health conditions, from low-income families, and from larger families are more likely to perceive higher risks of COVID-19. The migrant workers who believe in non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 control measures, including awareness campaigns and stay-at-home orders, have higher risk perceptions of the virus than other groups. The research contributes to identifying the program and policy priority areas to address the needs and COVID-19 vulnerabilities of returning Nepali migrant workers during and after the pandemic.

Sub-Saharan African communities' experiences and engagement with COVID-19 and the related control strategies in Antwerp, Belgium.

BACKGROUND: Pre-existing racial/ethnic disparities in health, sustained by intersecting socio-economic and structural inequities, have widened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, little attention has been paid to the lived experiences of people in ethnic/racialised minority communities, and to the causes and effects underlying the COVID-19-related burden. This hinders tailored responses. This study explores Sub-Saharan African (SSA) communities' needs, perceptions, and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its control measures in Antwerp (Belgium) in 2020. METHODS: This qualitative study using an interpretative ethnographical approach adopted an iterative and participatory methodology: a community advisory board advised on all stages of the research process. Interviews and a group discussion were conducted online, through telephone, and face-to-face. We analysed the data inductively using a thematic analytical approach. RESULTS: Our respondents, who mostly used social media for information, struggled with misinformation about the new virus and prevention measures. They reported to be vulnerable to misinformation about the origin of the pandemic, risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2, and the prevention measures. Not only did the epidemic affect SSA communities, but to a larger extent, the control strategies did-especially the lockdown. Respondents perceived the interaction of social factors (i.e. being migrants, being undocumented, having experienced racism and discrimination) and economic factors (i.e. working in temporary and precarious jobs, not being able to apply for unemployment benefit, crowded housing conditions) as increasing the burden of COVID-19 control measures. In turn, these experiences influenced people's perceptions and attitudes, and may have partially impaired them to follow some public health COVID-19 prevention guidelines. Despite these challenges, communities developed bottom-up initiatives to react quickly to the epidemic, including translation of prevention messages, food distribution, and online spiritual support. CONCLUSION: Pre-existing disparities influenced the perceptions of and attitudes towards COVID-19 and its control strategies among SSA communities. To better design support and control strategies targeted to specific groups, we need to not only involve communities and address their specific needs and concerns, but also build on their strengths and resilience. This will remain important in the context of widening disparities and future epidemics.

Drawing a pandemic vulnerabilities' map: The SoNAR-global Vulnerabilities Assessment digital and its output.

This paper describes the process, advantages and limitations of a qualitative methodology for defining and analyzing vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implemented in Italy in two sites (Rome and outside Rome, in some small-medium sized municipalities in Latium) in 2021, this investigation employed a mixed digital research tool that was also used simultaneously in four other European countries. Its digital nature encompasses both processes of data collection. Among the most salient is that the pandemic catalyzed new vulnerabilities in addition to exacerbating old ones, particularly economic. Many of the vulnerabilities detected, in fact, are linked to previous situations, such as the uncertainties of labor markets, having in COVID-19 to the greatest negative effects on the most precarious workers (non-regular, part-time, and seasonal). The consequences of the pandemic are also reflected in other forms of vulnerability that appear less obvious, having exacerbated social isolation, not only out of fear of contagion, but because of the psychological challenges posed by containment measures themselves. These measures created not mere discomfort, but behavioral changes characterized by anxiety, fearfulness, and disorientation. More generally, this investigation reveals the strong influence of social determinants throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, creating new forms of vulnerability, as the effects of social, economic, and biological risk factors were compounded, in particular, among already marginalized populations.

COVID-19, SDGs and public health systems: Linkages in Brazil.

Background: The global 2030 Agenda covers a range of interconnected issues which need interdisciplinary and holistic approaches to improve human well-being and protect the natural environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light critical inequities in society and policy gaps in health services. As highlighted through analyses of the interlinkages among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), connections between human health and well-being and the environment, can help support new policy needs in addressing systemic health crises, including widespread pandemics. Method: We identify links between the COVID-19 crisis and multiple SDGs in the context of Brazil based on a review of the current literature in the health sector.Findings: We identify synergistic connections between 88 out of 169 SDG targets and COVID-19, notably around themes such as City Environment, Contextual Policies and the value created by improved Information and Technology. Using the context of the Brazilian National Health Service (SUS) highlights recurrent interconnections from the focal point of target 3.8. This includes topics such as challenges for universal healthcare coverage, budget allocation, and universalisation. Conclusions: The framework developed for supporting policy-making decisions and the design of toolkits for dealing with future health-related emergency scenarios offers a practical solution in the health sector. It is worth noting that progress and action on public health systems and policies must go hand in hand with addressing existing socio-economic vulnerabilities in society. This is vital for tackling future pandemics and simultaneously addressing the SDGs.

Children with medical complexities: their distinct vulnerability in health systems' Covid-19 response and their claims of justice in the recovery phase.

In this paper, we discuss the lack of consideration given to children in the COVID-19 health systems policy response to the pandemic. We do this by focusing on the case of children with complex medical needs. We argue that, in broad terms, health systems policies that were implemented during the pandemic failed adequately to meet our obligations to both children generally and those with complex medical needs by failing to consider those needs and so to give them fair protection against harm and disadvantage. We argue that justice requires that the distinct needs and vulnerabilities of children with medical complexities are explicitly integrated and prioritised in decisions concerning healthcare and operational planning in the recovery phase and beyond.