Learning from COVID-19: What it Would Take to Be Better Prepared in the Eastern Mediterranean Region? (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED Multiple factors affected COVID-19 transmission in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), including conflict, demographics, timeliness of travel and social restrictions, migrant workers, weak health systems, and mass gatherings. Countries that responded well to COVID-19 had high-level of political commitment, with multi-sectoral coordination, enabling existing infrastructures to quickly mobilize. In some EMR countries, political instability and fragile health systems hampered the effectiveness of response strategies. The pandemic also highlighted the region’s weak health systems and preparedness, the fragmented surveillance systems, and the lack of trust in the shared information in the region. The disruption of access to and delivery of essential health services was one of the major health system fragilities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, WHO conducted a Global Pulse Survey which demonstrated that the EMR had the highest disruption in health services compared to other WHO Regions. Thanks to prioritization of this issue by WHO and Member States, as significant improvement in this area was observed regionally one year later, in 2021, in the second round of WHO’s National Pulse Survey. The pandemic underscored the importance of political leadership, community engagement and trust, the return on investment in health security, and that no one is safe until everyone safe. Increasing vaccine coverage is a priority in the EMR in addition to building regional capacities, strengthening health systems, and working towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and health security. Additionally, emergency public health is key in preparing and responding to pandemics and biological threats. Integrating public health into the primary care and investing in public health workforce capacity building are essential to reshape public health and health emergency preparedness.