Sustaining and scaling up the response to Covid is key to saving lives
The World Health Organization (WHO) South-east Asia region has witnessed a sharp surge of Sars-cov-2 infection. For weeks in April and May, the region reported more than two million new cases, with some areas reporting test positivity rates upwards of 40%. Variants of concern and their sub-lineages have been detected and may be associated with increased rates of transmission. Both the region and world are at a critical moment in the battle against Covid-19. No country is safe. We are all at risk.
Populations are exhausted. For 18 months, they have done everything they can to protect themselves and their loved ones. And, yet, we are still in the acute phase of this pandemic. Vaccine euphoria and the complacency it can bring are real dangers, especially as some countries return to normal. In all countries, we must continue to sustain and scale up the response, and see this challenge through. How must the region forge ahead?
First, aggressively apply public health and social measures that are proven to be effective, and which are our best defence against new variants. Physical distancing works. Mask use works. Hand hygiene works. Ventilation, testing, contact tracing, and isolation – they all work to control spread, save lives and minimise impact. We must continue to act on the 3Ws – wear a mask, wash hands and watch distance. And we must continue to avoid the 3Cs – crowded places, close-contact settings, and confined and enclosed spaces.
Second, expand health system capacity to ensure it can meet population needs, whatever the caseload. In the event of a surge in cases, step-wise plans must be activated to enhance space, staff and supplies and to heighten coordination among facilities. Essential health services must continue to be maintained to ensure that people can access the services they require to stay healthy.
Third, vaccinate priority groups, as defined in national deployment and vaccination plans. Amid ongoing supply challenges, countries should optimise the use of available doses to expand protection among priority groups and maximise public health benefits. Political and public support for vaccination must continue to be promoted, while acknowledging that vaccination alone will not end the pandemic. It is imperative that countries with a surplus of doses share them with the COVAX Facility, which aims to deliver two billion doses to participating low- and middleincome countries globally by the end of 2021.
False rumours and misinformation can increase risk-taking behaviours, facilitate disease transmission, and intensify or lengthen an outbreak. They can erode social trust. Before sharing information, consider its source, and whether the information is reliable. Be an ambassador of high-quality information, which can be accessed online via WHO’S website and social media accounts, and those of national and local authorities.
No community can be left behind. Across the world, Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted key demographics, which, for a range of social and economic reasons, may be more susceptible to transmission, or may struggle to access health care. This is not only inequitable, but also inefficient. Equity must continue to be a core feature of Covid-19 decision-making, whether on access to testing and treatment, or the provision of social and economic protection.
We must go all out. Since the beginning of the pandemic, WHO has provided memberstates in the region critical guidance and support, which has, in recent months, included thousands of oxygen concentrators, millions of respirator masks, and a series of auxiliary health facilities. Thousands of staff have been repurposed in support of national response efforts. Countries continue to reap life-saving benefits from the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, which is the fastest, most coordinated, and successful global collaboration in history to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to Covid-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
It is only through solidarity, and by sustaining this resolve, that we can drive infection down, prepare for and prevent new waves, and bring evidence-based treatments and technologies to all. Lives and livelihoods are at stake. We must all stay the course.