‘Evidence-based action a must as we are in this for the long haul’

Epidemiology in the respective countries should guide the graded easing of lockdowns in the SouthEast Asia Region (SEAR), was the strong call which went out from SEAR Regional Director Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh.

“Countries in the region must continue to take evidenceinformed action and conduct careful risk assessments while winding back public health and social measures. The focus should be on local epidemiology of COVID- 19, to identify hotspots and clusters and the capacity of systems and responders to find, isolate and care for cases, and quarantine contacts,” she said.

Dr. Khetrapal Singh held a virtual technical briefing meeting with senior health officials of SEAR’s 11 member countries including Sri Lanka, for the forthcoming virtual 73rd World Health Assembly session.

She cautioned that with countries now preparing to transition towards a “new normal” in which social and economic life can function, continued whole-of-government and whole- of- society approach would be critical.

The region with one-fourth of the global population, had around 122,000 cases and 4,000 deaths due to COVID- 19 as of Friday morning. The region’s countries are in various transmission scenarios and the cases are increasing.

In every transmission scenario, the core public health measures remain – rapidly detect, test, isolate, care and trace contacts, the Regional Director said, adding that moving forward we need to scale up these measures. “There can be no illusions: We are in this for the long haul.”

At a virtual media briefing on Wednesday, WHO Technical Lead, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, gave the six vital criteria needed for countries:

Virus transmission should be controlled – that means that the incidence of cases or the number of new cases is reducing over a period of time. Adequate health systems and public health capacities are in place – that countries have the workforce and the ability to detect, test, isolate, care for cases, making sure that hospitals are fully able to handle them.

The risks of outbreaks and high vulnerable settings are minimized – this would include prisons, detention centres and long-term care facilities.

Workplace preventive measures including physical distancing etc., are established – they should also have plans to rapidly identify cases and manage those cases.

The risks of imported cases are managed – with borders opening and people being able to move. This can even be within a country. Communities are fully engaged – they are informed, empowered, and knowledgeable and understand the situation.