Pandemic Response: From Containment to Mitigation

Recommendations for mitigation:

Short term:

Divert resources from contact tracing and surveillance to case management and restoration of routine services
Enforce physical distancing, consistent use of masks/ PPE, hygiene measures
Implement compliance-linked permissions to operate businesses and services
Consider scheduling services/ businesses on specific days of the week to minimize crowding
Enforce mobility restrictions in public spaces (limit the number of people permitted outside at the same time)
Resume transport services with restrictions on number of passengers
Stagger the reopening of educational institutions
Defer sports and entertainment events (or conduct them fully online- advertising revenue will be available; viewers may be charged an access fee as well)

Long term (preparedness):

Invest in developing public health systems and primary health care
Establish surveillance systems designed to deal with a pandemic situation
Test pandemic preparedness from time to time
Establish norms for businesses, services and education that require pandemic planning

Attributions:

Figures 1 and 2 have been sourced from:

‘Pandemics: Risks, Impacts, and Mitigation’ by Nita Madhav and others in ‘Disease control priorities, 3^rd Edition’, available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525289/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK525289.pdf

The featured image has been sourced from https://www.ghsindex.org and represents pandemic preparedness of various countries in October 2019.

Useful Links and further reading:

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

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