How to Prepare for the Next Pandemic?
KEY CONCLUSIONS
Coronavirus pandemic reveals social inequality in the world
“The losses are enormous. [...] Not a single country has remained free from the virus,” said Anna Popova, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing and Chief State Sanitary Physician of the Russian Federation.
“This pandemic has exposed enormous social inequalities. It wasn’t just the virus that killed people, but inequality as well. […] Not a single country has escaped this reality. […] The pandemic is not over yet, we are still far from that. […] Vaccines are being distributed unevenly around the world. Although many countries are easing quarantine restrictions as people are vaccinated, we are nevertheless seeing that hospitals remain full in many countries,” said Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization Health Emergencies Programme.
“What happened was definitely a challenge. It was psychological and organizational. The government worked on this issue in a very well-coordinated manner, as a single organism, largely due to the coordinating and guiding role of Rospotrebnadzor. Many of the things we did, we did together. This is the result of our joint work,” Minister of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Maksut Shadayev said.
PROBLEMS
There is a chance of other pandemics due to the failure to comply with recommendations
“We have had many pandemics and there will be more pandemics. [...] Estimates put the number of viruses alone around the world at more than 100 million, of which only 6,000 have been described, and there are 500 types of viruses that cause pathologies in humans. So, the pool and potential for a viral world is huge,” said Vladimir Kutyrev, Director of the Russian Anti-Plague Scientific Research Institute ‘Microbe’.
“It’s is impossible to cope with a pandemic alone. The pandemic knows neither national borders nor state borders. It’s absolutely indifferent to conflicts. It’s absolutely indifferent to wars and businesses. This is why the UN Secretary General, probably from the very first moment when the pandemic announced itself loud and clear, appealed to the whole world to conclude a global truce; 160 countries responded to this appeal, but, unfortunately, far from everyone actually adhered to this call. As we can see, conflicts continue. There hasn’t been any lifting of the sanctions that are disastrous for the economies of countries, which is also important in a pandemic,” said Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Moscow.
“We see that there is inequality not only in the distribution of vaccines, but social inequalities and inequalities in the provision of health services. There is inequality among different social groups in a single country. This may be due to ineffective management systems. Various groups are paying a very high price for their poor readiness to act,” said Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization Health Emergencies Programme.
“The recommendations given by the WHO [...] are being followed and fulfilled in absolutely different ways,” said Larisa Katysheva, Director of the Centre for Contemporary Communications at the Graduate School of Public Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
SOLUTION
Countries need to come together and listen to one another
“We need one more vaccine – a vaccine of trust. Without that, we won’t make it anywhere. [...] Until we create habits that will help save our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren, we won’t be able to do anything,” said Larisa Katysheva, Director of the Centre for Contemporary Communications at the Graduate School of Public Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration
“The lesson for the future is to learn and demonstrate a readiness to listen to one another and take each other’s interests into account. We need to speak and interact on international platforms,” said Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Moscow.
“We need to come together. […] The world has already been in such a situation. Remember the times of the Cold War, when the US and the USSR weren’t really working together, but they did manage to establish a joint fight against smallpox. Differences must be bridged to protect people, to protect children, and ensure our future. […] We must carefully study the relationship between society, the private sector, and government and build trust in the future,” said Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Programme.
A health shield, technology, and science will help fight the pandemic
“The main slogan is an epidemic without a lockdown. […] We must ensure that the country, economy, and public relations all function, while preventing the spread of infection. This is not an easy task, but this is what we have made a top priority. People should be comfortable. […] Today we have a project for a health shield based on orders from the Russian president. He voiced this during his message to the Federal Assembly. We are actively working on this today,” said Anna Popova, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing and Chief State Sanitary Physician of the Russian Federation.
“The question of building, designing, and creating living systems is already being raised. This is synthetic biology. […] We mustn’t just react to an occurrence, but control the possibility of the occurrence. This requires very serious scientific research, expeditionary work, and environmental monitoring,” said Vladimir Kutyrev, Director of the Russian Anti-Plague Scientific Research Institute ‘Microbe’.
“We have been able to find the right balance in the blanket spread of digital technologies. […] We have proven that there is no need for face-to-face communication between officials and the state authorities. We see that this is our main achievement, which distinguishes us from other countries,” Minister of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Maksut Shadayev said.
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