Covid-19 fed off ‘panic and neglect’, says WHO-backed body that warned of possible pandemic
- ‘We warned that the world was ill-prepared for such a pandemic, tragically and catastrophically we have seen our worst fear realised,’ Global Preparedness Monitoring Board says
- Group said in a report last year that action was needed to prepare better for pandemics and outbreaks
In its “A World in Disorder” report released on Monday, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board said Covid-19 “revealed a collective failure to take pandemic prevention, preparedness and response seriously”.
The independent group said in its inaugural report last year – released in September, just months before the start of the health crisis – that the world was at risk of being hit by a respiratory pandemic.
But the principle shift the health leaders called for both this year and last was one of mindset, to end a “cycle of panic and neglect” when it came to the response to health emergencies.
“We warned that the world was ill-prepared for such a pandemic, tragically and catastrophically we have seen our worst fear realised. The impact of Covid-19 is even worse than we anticipated,” said board co-chair and former WHO director general Gro Harlem Brundtland.
“Actions that we called for last year have still not been taken,” she said, adding the world remained vulnerable to future outbreaks.
Without naming names, the group pointed to the failure of leaders to take early decisive action and listen to science in their responses to the crisis. It also said political tensions and disruption of the G7, G20, and multilateral organisations were major impediments to tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.