ABSTRACT
Policy reset and convergence on governance are needed.
Subject(s)
Biological Science Disciplines , Biosecurity , Policy , United States , Biological Science Disciplines/organization & administration , HumansABSTRACT
From the Executive Summary: The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] (COVID) pandemic has led to unprecedented action and innovation in the US healthcare system;at the same time, it has presented extraordinary challenges and risks. Through dramatic augmentation of surge capacity, deferral of other services, and implementation of crisis standards of care, hospitals in many locations have been able to absorb the blow of the first peak of COVID cases and continue to provide lifesaving care to both COVID patients and others with life-threatening emergencies. But many communities are just beginning to experience the full force of the pandemic, and in every location, the healthcare response to COVID has come at a very dear price. Healthcare facilities have sustained huge financial losses, and healthcare workers' health and well-being have been put at high risk. New standard operating procedures and work processes have been improvised, and many old lessons have had to be relearned.COVID-19 (Disease);Epidemics
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From the Webpage: This operational toolkit has been developed to help business owners who are considering reopening or expanding their operations to determine their establishments' risk of transmission of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] and how to reduce it. As displayed in the figure below, the Operational Toolkit consists of 3 parts: an instruction manual;a business risk worksheet;and an assessment calculator.COVID-19 (Disease);Disaster recovery;Disaster recovery--Plans
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From the Document: In this report, we briefly summarize key findings of a selection of published pediatric COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] literature, and we provide recommendations for areas where Filling in the Blanks: National Research Needs to Guide Decisions about Reopening Schools in the US 6 additional study and expedited research are needed. Recognizing that many countries are opening schools now, we summarize the approaches and plans of several countries in their efforts to resume in-classroom education, as it will be important to observe whether and how these measures ultimately affect disease transmission. This report focuses primarily on research needed to improve the evidence base relating to children, teachers, and other staff in daycare and in schools serving pre-K through 12th grade. This report does not include a focus on boarding schools, colleges, or universities because the congregate living arrangements common to these settings present different challenges. Those settings are outside the scope of this report and deserve their own strategies and lines of research.COVID-19 (Disease);Day care centers;School closings;Disaster recovery
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Nine events have been assessed for potential declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). A PHEIC is defined as an extraordinary event that constitutes a public health risk to other states through international spread and requires a coordinated international response. The WHO Director-General convenes Emergency Committees (ECs) to provide their advice on whether an event constitutes a PHEIC. The EC rationales have been criticised for being non-transparent and contradictory to the International Health Regulations (IHR). This first comprehensive analysis of EC rationale provides recommendations to increase clarity of EC decisions which will strengthen the IHR and WHO's legitimacy in future outbreaks. METHODS: 66 EC statements were reviewed from nine public health outbreaks of influenza A, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, polio, Ebola virus disease, Zika, yellow fever and coronavirus disease-2019. Statements were analysed to determine which of the three IHR criteria were noted as contributing towards the EC's justification on whether to declare a PHEIC and what language was used to explain the decision. RESULTS: Interpretation of the criteria were often vague and applied inconsistently. ECs often failed to describe and justify which criteria had been satisfied. DISCUSSION: Guidelines must be developed for the standardised interpretation of IHR core criteria. The ECs must clearly identify and justify which criteria have contributed to their rationale for or against PHEIC declaration. CONCLUSION: Striving for more consistency and transparency in EC justifications would benefit future deliberations and provide more understanding and support for the process.