Three years since the declaration of a global health emergency due to coronavirus, not only are the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic still fresh, but cases and deaths are spiking in a number of countries. We are still learning about the long tail of this pandemic, including the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the human body, as well as the repercussions on economies and social cohesion.
The time is now to apply lessons learned so that the world is ready to manage the next pandemic threat better. Coordinated political leadership, national preparedness, new financing, fit-for-purpose surveillance systems, clear rules governing early warnings and global alerts, a more authoritative World Health Organization, and a system that ensures people everywhere have access to tests, vaccines, and treatments are all required.
But here’s the challenge: These were broadly the same areas of reform recommended after the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, outbreak in 2003, the swine flu, or H1N1, pandemic of 2009, and the 2014-2015 West African Ebola epidemic.
About the author
Gro Harlem Brundtland. Helen Clark. Jakaya Kikwete. Ban Ki-moon. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Gro Harlem Brundtland was prime minister of Norway, and as director-general, led the World Health Organization’s response to the SARS outbreak in 2003. Helen Clark was prime minister of New Zealand, and in 2021 co-chaired The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Jakaya Kikwete was president of Tanzania, and in 2015 chaired the UN High-Level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises. Ban Ki-moon was secretary-general of the United Nations from 2007 to 2016 and established the UN High-Level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises in 2015. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was president of Liberia, and in 2021 co-chaired The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
