One fine morning Claire Hastie, a single mother to 3 boys woke up finding it hard to breathe, she knew something was wrong.
The 47-year-old British copywriter had been suffering from an inflamed throat for a few days, but as her breathlessness worsened and she developed further symptoms, unlike any she had experienced before, she knew it must be COVID-19.
This was just the beginning of an illness that she needed to cope with in the long run.
It was not only her but the story of millions who got affected by the deadly virus, there have been 700,502,061 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,961,204 deaths, reported to WHO so far till today.
“There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen”
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
This certainly describes the catastrophic scenario of Covid-19. Paradoxically, while many of us got locked down at home and not able to do very much, enormous changes surged throughout the world. Covid-19 caught the world off guard! The world tried to speed up research to discover its vaccine, Covid-19 was certainly a wake-up call for any unforeseen epidemic preparedness.
In a bid to ensure lessons are learned for any future health crises, a global battle against the coronavirus, the United Nations General Assembly declared 27 December will be the “International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.” In the 75th session and 36th plenary meeting on December 7, 2020, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed this resolution. The decision is part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well. The declaration recognized the “devastating impacts of major infectious diseases and epidemics.”
The COVID-19 virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in early December 2019 and spread globally, infecting and killing millions of people. The World Health Organization coined the term COVID-19 and declared this novel coronavirus disease as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
There was a time when hospitals ran out of beds and ventilators as a result of the pandemic, and the flaws in the healthcare systems of several countries became apparent. The worst time came when surgical masks and hand sanitisers were also out of stock. It resulted in the deaths of millions of people and the illness of hundreds of millions. Healthcare systems were overburdened, economies were wrecked, and the Sustainable Development Goal progress stalled.
COVID-19 will not be the last epidemic or pandemic humanity faces. As a global community, there is a dire need to learn the lessons of COVID-19 and put wholesome effort into pandemic preparedness, prevention and response.
So, this day highlights the importance of prevention, preparedness, and partnership against epidemics by enjoining every person, organization, and government to prepare its citizens sustainably and follow national contexts and priorities through educational and awareness-raising programs.
“COVID-19 is a human tragedy. But it has also created a generational opportunity. An opportunity to build back a more equal and sustainable world.”
António Guterres, Secretary General United Nations
The International Day of Epidemic Preparedness serves as a day to raise awareness of interdependence and the ways showing living in harmony with the environment might help us prevent disease outbreaks in the future. It also means that we must take a broader perspective on epidemics and the intricate relationships between our health and the health of our environment. The destruction of the Ecosystem and other human activity is associated with the rise of zoonoses or diseases spread from animals to humans.
A pandemic cannot be fought alone as it is a global issue, the world must join hands and come together. COVID-19 was a wake-up call for humanity to be prepared for any unforeseen situation. It has brought to light the extent to which healthcare settings can contribute to the spread of infections if insufficient attention is given to infection, prevention, and control.
References
- World Health Organization: WHO. (2022, July 19). Coping with the unknown – a family’s story of living with long COVID. https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/feature-stories/item/coping-with-the-unknown—a-family-s-story-of-living-with-long-covid
- United Nations. (n.d.). International Day of Epidemic Preparedness | Messages | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/observances/epidemic-preparedness-day/messages
- COVID-19 cases | WHO COVID-19 dashboard. (n.d.). Datadot. https://covid19.who.int/
- https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
