One question I am frequently asked since the COVID-19 pandemic is, “Are we more ready for the next pandemic than we were for the last one?”
My answer is “yes” and “no”.
WHO and countries have worked hard to improve how we detect, prevent, and respond to new health threats.
WHO reacted from the moment we received the first reports of cases of a novel pathogen in China on New Year’s Eve 2019. We asked China for more information and activated our emergency response systems. Even before the first death was reported in China on Jan 8, 2020, we had alerted nations and the general public, convened experts, and published comprehensive guidance for countries to prevent the spread of this virus and protect people and health systems.
It was on March 11, 2020, when I first described COVID-19 as a “pandemic”. While many media highlight that date as the pandemic’s anniversary, the much more significant moment was six weeks earlier, on Jan 30, 2020, when I declared a public health emergency of international concern – the highest level of alarm under international health law. At the time, there were fewer than 100 reported cases outside China, and no reported deaths.
COVID showed the world where our individual and collective weaknesses lay, as organizations and countries alike. But it also sparked great collaboration, investment and innovation.
This was particularly so at WHO, and it is what gives me confidence to say “yes” to those who ask are we more prepared. Based on lessons learned, often in real-time, new initiatives were developed and launched that strengthened our ability to respond to infectious disease outbreaks.
The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin is a multi-partner centre of innovation. The Pandemic Fund, run jointly with the World Bank, is financing preparedness in countries. The Global Health Emergency Corps is boosting workforce capacities and collaborations to strengthen emergency response. Around 30 countries and territories from WHO’s six regions are supporting the WHO BioHub system, through which we help share biological materials.
WHO is also supporting initiatives to increase the equitable and local development, production and sharing of life-saving tools, including vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. These initiatives include the mRNA technology transfer hub in Cape Town, its training centre partner in Seoul, and the Interim Medical Countermeasures Network. The Universal Health and Preparedness Review helps countries identify gaps in preparedness, strengthen accountability and promote collaboration. And in 2024 the World Health Assembly agreed amendments to the International Health Regulations to strengthen country capacities to counter health emergencies.
Among the most painful lessons COVID-19 taught us was that lives and livelihoods could be destroyed by an invisible threat that did not respect borders.
It also demonstrated that learning from experience and sustaining ongoing public health investments make a difference. Countries in the Mekong Delta, for example, used their muscle memory from previous outbreaks to respond far more effectively than many others. This was largely thanks to well-prepared facilities, trained staff and a commitment to surveillance, detection and prevention.
Another key lesson is to use science and evidence to drive actions and act quickly. Countries that heeded early warnings quickly identified early cases, thereby preventing onward spread.
Despite significant progress, however, I still must tell decision makers that “no, we are not yet fully prepared”.
Many countries are still struggling to sustain gains and financially support their health workers, systems and capacities to prevent and react quickly to new outbreaks. Fragile supply chains, inequitable access to life-saving tools and the spread of mis- and dis-information remain serious problems.
Although the speed of COVID-19 vaccine development was an extraordinary scientific achievement, developing countries were left waiting for vaccines. Many people never received any.
A major aspect of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response is ensuring countries work together under clear rules. For over three years, WHO Member States have been discussing a new pandemic agreement to establish principles, priorities and targets for how countries will cooperate when the next pandemic strikes. These negotiations are scheduled to resume on 7 April, before the World Health Assembly meets in May, when we hope an agreement will be reached. If countries succeed in this historic undertaking, it could prevent the chaos, inconsistent collaboration and unhelpful competition for resources, vaccines and other tools witnessed during COVID-19.
It is not only governments and international organizations that play important roles in pandemic preparedness and response – communities and individuals are key. Outbreaks begin and end in communities, and can be prevented by communities. Public health measures like staying at home when unwell, wearing masks, physical distancing and vaccination were crucial to curbing COVID’s spread and impact. But they worked well only when people understood and trusted them, and when policies were developed and implemented with communities.
Misinformation and distrust made the situation worse. That is why clear, accurate and regular communication is so important. Building public trust in science and health authorities, and making sure that people have reliable information, will help us respond more effectively.
We have the knowledge, tools, and experience to prevent the next pandemic. What we need now is determination, cooperation, and the will to act before disaster strikes again.
History will judge us, not on whether we saw the next pandemic coming, but on how well we were prepared. We know we cannot sustain a repeat of the losses inflicted by a crisis like COVID. So I am confident my answer will turn to an unequivocal “yes” when we are asked in the future if we are primed for preventing or containing the next pandemic. We have no other alternative – our collective global security demands it.
First published by Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Context.
