The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a lot of concern among the medical community and the public. A steep rise in the number of locally transmitted cases in all countries affected by the pandemic is leading to a lot of outcry and lots of actions have been suggested to combat the pandemic. Lots of analysis have been done by experts and non-experts and healthcare staff are reporting a great strain on resources.
Health ministries all over the world are issuing daily updates on the situation. There have been pronouncements of actions to be taken by various parties including businesses whose staff have been infected and whose businesses are affected by movement restrictions introduced to ensure some kind of social distancing. Governments are scrambling to introduce various stimulus packages to avoid or mitigate an expected economic recession.
Despite this, there is widespread feeling that the pandemic does not seem to be under control. There is also a lot of confusion on where the management of the pandemic is heading i.e. whether countries are still trying to contain the pandemic or whether they are now in the mitigation phase.
The way I see it, this confusion results from two main deficiencies – lack of clear Pandemic Management Strategies and lack of clear Crisis Communication. There are certainly many health guidelines which dwell a lot on managing individual persons suspected of being infected but many countries do not appear to have clear overall strategies in managing this pandemic. A clear overall pandemic management strategy needs to answer the following questions:
It would appear that some countries are failing to answer these questions adequately or if they are, there is no clear communication to the public, businesses and organizations. The current pandemic cannot be managed by the country’s health ministry alone. All parts of the government machinery with the help of public health experts, the private sector and NGOs need to work together to tackle this pandemic. It is our health at stake and it is our collective responsibility to take care of that health.
The Academy of Sciences Malaysia is a member of the International Science Council and is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020.
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