Citation and extracts from the lead editorial in The Lancet, 7th May
CITATION: COVID-19: the next phase and beyond
Editorial| volume 399, issue 10337, p1753, may 07, 2022
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)00817-0/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email
After living for more than 2 years with COVID-19 — with over 6·2 million confirmed deaths (but probably many more, with an estimated 20 million excess deaths) and over 510 million confirmed cases — the world is at a critical point... People are understandably exhausted and want to forget about the pandemic. This would be a grave mistake.
First, the pandemic situation is not the same everywhere in the world. China, for example, continues to employ its so-called dynamic zero COVID strategy of mass testing, quarantining of those testing positive, and lockdown of districts or even whole cities (most recently Shanghai)... For China, the top priority must be to accelerate an effective vaccination strategy. The current approach is not a long-term solution for Chinese people.
Second, the global vaccination strategy is far from on track. Unacceptable vaccine inequity persists...
Third, vaccine inequity is mirrored by slow and delayed access to one of the few effective oral treatments for COVID-19 — paxlovid. When taken early, paxlovid reduces the risk of hospitalisation and death by 89%. Although high-income countries are ordering millions of doses from the manufacturer, Pfizer, mechanisms to make paxlovid available in low-income and middle-income countries via the Medicines Patent Pool are slow...
Finally, now is the time to plan, learn from mistakes, and create strong resilient health systems, as well as national and international preparedness strategies with lasting funding...
Nationally, countries need independent inquiries into their responses to COVID-19...
Now is not the time to turn away from COVID-19 or rewrite history. It is time to vigorously engage, redouble efforts to end the acute phase of the pandemic in 2022 for all, and lay strong sustainable foundations for a better future with clear accountabilities and honest acceptance of uncomfortable truths.
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Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Global Coordinator HIFA, www.hifa.org neil@hifa.org
Working in official relations with WHO
