Font size:
Print
Five Years Beyond the Pandemic
Need for Global Prepared Response for Future Pandemic
Context: As we mark the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, reflections on the global response reveal both profound lessons and significant gaps in achieving a more resilient and inclusive society.
More on News
José Saramago’s words, “The only possible answer to the question of how we can survive the plague is by living,” resonate as we ponder whether we, as a global society, have truly learned and moved toward a healthier, more innovative future.
Key Lessons from the Pandemic
Fragility of Trust in Health Systems:
- The pandemic underscored how low trust in healthcare institutions and public health guidance can hamper response efforts.
- Heterogeneity in trust influenced the adoption of both non-pharmaceutical (e.g., masking, distancing) and pharmaceutical (e.g., vaccines, testing) interventions, including vaccines and testing.
- In India, underreporting of COVID-19 infections and excess mortality, later detailed in Science, highlighted systemic trust issues.
- Across many vulnerable economies, communication failures further weakened compliance and coordination.
- Public trust is foundational to public health interventions; its erosion can critically compromise emergency response.
Technology: A Double-Edged Sword:
- COVID-19 accelerated digital adoption but exposed the digital divide between privileged and underserved communities.
- Remote work and online education widened existing inequalities for vulnerable populations.
- AI in pharmaceutical innovation saw a dramatic rise — University of Sussex research shows a spike in AI keyword frequency in patent data post-COVID.
- This is echoed by the 2023 Nobel Prize awarded to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper (DeepMind) for AI-driven drug discovery.
- Telemedicine gained momentum as a remote healthcare solution, but equitable access remains limited, particularly in developing economies.
Amplification of Vulnerabilities:
- COVID-19 deepened socio-economic disparities, impacting progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
- Women were disproportionately affected — in terms of childcare, work burdens, and mental health.
- Access to routine healthcare services became a challenge, especially in low-resource settings.
- Mental health issues surged globally, creating a “silent pandemic” without a comprehensive structural solution yet in place.
- Workplace productivity and models remain unstable, with ongoing debates around hybrid and remote work.
Weaknesses in Health Infrastructure:
- The pandemic exposed inadequacies in global health systems, especially in countries without universal health insurance.
- India and other Global South nations struggled due to pre-existing public health system limitations.
- National capabilities for oxygen supply — essential for future respiratory pandemics — need urgent upgrading (per U-Edinburgh research).
- The rise of “hybrid” solutions, combining digital tools with traditional health infrastructure, points to a cost-effective way forward.
- Public-private partnerships proved valuable during the crisis but often faded after the immediate emergency.
- There is a growing need for a central public health officer in decentralised health systems to streamline coordination and reduce costs.
Ethical and Equity Concerns:
- The pandemic raised the issue of profiteering and IP rights, especially concerning vaccine and therapeutic access.
- IP waiver debates revealed tensions between protecting innovation and ensuring global equitable access.
- Africa’s struggle with vaccine access due to vaccine nationalism emphasised the importance of South-South collaboration for future preparedness.
Outlook and Call for Resilience
- Though we’ve made progress in flattening the curve on health, innovation, and economy, much-unfinished work remains.
- Raises concern about whether the world can embrace a unified vision of ‘One World and One Health’ or if national protectionism will dominate.
- Echoing Saramago’s sentiment, the world is living beyond the pandemic, but questions remain: Are we learning and actively working to build inclusive, resilient societies for the future?
The COVID-19 pandemic was more than a health crisis — it was a stress test for trust, equity, innovation, and resilience in our systems. The onus is now on global leaders, institutions, and communities to turn these hard-learned lessons into sustainable change, ensuring that the next crisis finds us better prepared — and more united.
