Public Health Policies Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic Management: The Cases of Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Finland and Iceland

ABSTRACT

Background: The high contagiousness of the SARS-CoV-2, the large proportion of the population at risk of serious illness which will require hospital care and, certainly, the necessary need to protect public health has led countries worldwide to quickly resolve measures. Aims: Public health policies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic management of Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Finland and Iceland. Methods: A narrative literature review was conducted. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the countries' health policies was carried out using three indicators the Case Fatality Rate (CFR), the number of cases and the number of deaths per 100,000 people. Results: The very fast response of the governments, the strict lockdown, the quarantine measures, the travel restrictions, the systematic testing, tracing and epidemiological surveillance, the effective communication between officials and citizens, the government's response to COVID-19 focused on allowing the relevant experts to convey important information directly to the public, the testing of older people and health professionals and the mobile tracing applications compose the most important public health interventions. All these measures combined with the adoption and implementation by the citizens and with the organization of health systems, resulted in better management of the pandemic in the countries under study. Discussion: These measures have undoubtedly been important public health policies, which are a testament to future responses to such pandemics.