The COVID-19 pandemic revealed gaps in many countries’ preparedness to manage and respond to a global health threat. In the western Pacific region, these gaps include weak surveillance, testing, and capacity to develop and produce vaccines.
The majority of Pacific island countries did not have polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, machines to diagnose patients with COVID-19. Only a few high-income countries in the region also had genomic surveillance capacities to identify what viruses are circulating in the population and causing disease transmission, according to Dr. Babatunde Olowokure, the regional emergency director at the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific office.
Many countries also relied on vaccines developed by companies outside of the region.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
