Strategies Against Future Pandemics: An Analytical Overview of COVID-19 Response
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i4.3863Keywords:
COVID-19, Pandemic Response, StrategiesAbstract
COVID-19, or Coronavirus Disease of 2019, is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to its highly infectious nature and high mortality rate, the effects of COVID-19 have taken social and economic tolls on countries across the globe. The impactful and devastating pandemic led to more than 600 million cases and over 6.5 million deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The purpose of this proposal is to 1) address the weaknesses in COVID-19 policy responses and 2) propose additional measures to both prepare for and respond to the next COVID pandemic. When another pandemic occurs, the government should focus vast amounts of resources on developing an effective vaccine and test while arranging personnel to carry out testing and contact tracing. Mandates such as mask-wearing and physical distancing will be implemented to help slow down the infection. In addition, the government needs to ensure that the public is receiving reliable and credible information about the pandemic, as well as personal hygiene information to improve adherence to the policies. Then, if the healthcare system is overwhelmed and the spread is out of control, lockdown should be considered after evaluating all the potential negative effects. Although the COVID-19 pandemic’s severity has seemed to wane over time, staying cautious will help the country to be ready for similar situations.
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