Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Monday, February 6, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Fragmented COVID-19 Responses Are Still Holding Us Back

Han Seung Soo by Han Seung Soo
19 December 2022
in Opinion
A,Globe,In,A,Pile,Of,Scattered,Garbage,On,A

A globe in a pile of scattered garbage on a background of green grass, Around scattered plastic, protective mask, gloves, waste during coronavirus pandemic. Save the World.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) After largely avoiding widespread COVID-19 infections in South Korea since the pandemic began, the country is now leading the world in new cases reported over the last week. South Korea is not alone. From Hong Kong to New Zealand, many countries that have managed to stem the tide of COVID-19 cases and deaths since 2020 are now experiencing unprecedented spikes.

The last few weeks have yet again served as a testament to the global nature of the pandemic – no country is safe until all countries are safe from the virus. While some countries are reinstating lockdowns, others are taking their foot off the pedal or simply learning to live with the virus. With a highly transmissible virus adept at crossing borders in our globalized world, this kind of piecemeal approach is not working. Even before the Omicron variant took hold around the world, the fragmented pandemic preparedness and response effort taken at the international level and by countries led to millions of preventable deaths and trillions of dollars lost.

More than ever, the world needs a new international system to encourage global solidarity in times of crisis and enable countries at every income level to detect, alert and respond to health threats before they become pandemics. While many countries find themselves in the middle of new COVID-19 outbreaks, the time is now to plan ahead and make sure the next response is cohesive, equitable and effective. We cannot continue the global cycle of crisis and complacency, especially when we have the tools to correct it.

In a new Call to Action supported by Club de Madrid, the Panel for a Global Public Health Convention has proposed a bold path forward to address gaps in the current order and dramatically strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response systems through a new Pandemic Treaty or Convention. The new set of recommendations call for a positively incentivized system governed at the heads of state level where compliance with agreed preparedness standards, alert protocols and response efforts are overseen by an independent monitoring and assessment body at arm’s length to the World Health Organization (WHO).

While WHO’s leadership in setting international standards in preparedness and response and supporting countries achieve targets is vital and would need to be strengthened, an independent body would add an additional layer of accountability. With the mandate to call on and call out countries based on performance of pandemic preparedness, detection and response, an independent body could help avoid the ad hoc approach taken during COVID-19 by holding countries to account.

Establishing this accountability within countries and at the international level is essential to a Pandemic Treaty. In order to take decisive action during a crisis, who is required to take what action and when must be determined. This includes accountability for preparation; transparent and real-time reporting of health threats; implementation of evidence-based public health measures; information sharing, including of genetic sequences, specimens and samples; equitable distribution of pandemic goods; as well as a fully funded financing facility.

South Korea learned many of these lessons in the aftermath of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015. The Government took responsibility and action to bolster its pandemic preparedness and response efforts by investing in disease surveillance and reporting systems, building fit-for-purpose isolation units, increasing health worker training for crisis response and PPE use, as well as practicing outbreak simulation responses at the local-level to determine who does what when.

This kind of preparation is not free. Though trivial in comparison to the trillions of dollars that have been needed to contain COVID-19 and its economic consequences, it is estimated that billions of dollars will be needed to fund adequate preparedness measures in many low- and middle-income countries. That is why the Panel urges that a new Pandemic Treaty include a multilateral financing facility to ensure all countries can access predictable and sustainable funding without incurring catastrophic debt.

Finally, a Treaty must ensure that all tools and countermeasures to contain the outbreak, like PPE, tests and vaccines, must be considered global public goods and be financed, produced and distributed as such. The scramble for pandemic supplies such as vaccines continues to hold the entire world back from moving forward and has left large swaths of the world vulnerable to preventable deaths.

Rampant vaccine inequity and recent spikes in COVID-19 cases across the region should serve as a sobering reminder that our current system is not working. Through adherence to an accountable Pandemic Treaty, there is a chance to make this right and create a system capable of stopping outbreaks in their tracks and ensuring an equitable response if one is needed. Let’s take this opportunity to implement evidence-based solutions, learn from the last two years and build a healthier and safer world.

Tags: COVID-19 ResponsesMain-SliderOpinion section
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • Health & Fitness
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Brussels Bubble
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Wider Europe
    • Member States
  • World
  • Business & Society
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Culture & Society
  • Policy Talks
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT