News & Views: WHO Guidance on COVID-19 Strategies
Published on in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers
Published on in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers
“To prevail against COVID‑19, we need an approach that unites in common cause every individual and community, every business and non-profit, every department of every government, every non-governmental organization, every international organization, and every regional and global governance body, to harness their collective capacity into collective action.” (WHO, 2020 April 14, p. 190)
On April 14, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) published updated guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The article identified three defining characteristics of the pandemic, including its speed and scale, severity, and disruption to society and economies.
The goals of the publication were to:
As suggested in the quote, the article identified roles for all sectors of society. Placing the impetus on national governments for coordination and planning of each country’s response, the report discussed:
The report described six criteria that will need to be met in order to sustain low-level or no transmission:
The report also addressed responses in countries with limited resources and weaker healthcare systems; coordination of responses at the global level, including surveillance requirements; issues related to misinformation during the pandemic; global supply chain management; and coordination of research and knowledge sharing efforts.
Contributed by: Charlotte A. Moser, MS, Paul A. Offit, MD
Categories: Vaccine Update May 2020, News and Views About Vaccines
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