Powered by
Sponsored by

COVID catastrophe result of dithering, poor coordination: Independent panel

Early responses to the pandemic lacked urgency

PTI05_12_2021_000069B

An Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPPR), on Wednesday, said that the COVID-19 pandemic, that went on to kill over 3.3 million people globally, could have been prevented. The panel said, WHO could have declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) -- its highest level of alarm -- on January 22, 2020. But instead, the organisation declared it an emergency on January 30.

The panel, in its report also said that a ‘toxic cocktail’ of dithering and poor coordination was an indication that the warning signs were overlooked. The panel also said that the current situation is the result of a series of bad decisions.

Institutions "failed to protect people" and science-denying leaders eroded public trust in health interventions, the IPPPR said in its long-awaited final report, sought by WHO last May.

The panel was chaired by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The report titled ‘Covid-19: Make it the Last Pandemic,’ reads-- the global alarm system needed overhauling to prevent a similar catastrophe, AFP reports.

"The situation we find ourselves in today could have been prevented," Sirleaf told AFP.

As for the initial outbreak, "there were clearly delays in China -- but there were delays everywhere", she added.

Early responses to the pandemic lacked urgency, the report said, adding that rich and well-vaccinated nations should provide vaccines to the 92 poorest territories under the scheme—at least one billion vaccine doses by September 1, and more than two billion by mid-2022.

The panel’s report also recommended the G20 should also create an International Pandemic Financing Facility with bandwidth to spend $5-10 billion a year on preparedness, with $50 to $100 billion ready to roll in the event of a crisis. A revamp of the WHO to give it more authority and greater control over its funding was recommended too.

📣 The Week is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TheWeekmagazine) and stay updated with the latest headlines