Pandemic Preparedness and What have We Really Learned from COVID-19 So Far?

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic in its second year has shown that current systems are vastly challenged by the complexity and intersectoral affects around the globe. Quick fixes and problem-solving in a fractioned, comparted way do no longer serve. And still, there seem to be the notion that doing the same things repeatedly will lead to different results.

Purpose: To review selected assessments’ best practices, lessons learnt, and progress made. At the same time this is to appreciate the efforts so far in Pandemic Preparedness and to highlight the possibility to consider a different, system theory approach – the concept of social change 2.0 of David Gershon.
Findings: As the pandemic progresses into various phases, the complexity for sectors, systems and countries worldwide is unprecedented. Various documents were put together to ensure that progress is made in this context. Even more assessments to identify best practices and gaps were scheduled to support the governments in their tasks to provide safety for their population and to contribute to global health security. Apart from some categories being the same or similar, however, there is a growing variety of instruments supposed to help countries to get an oversight of ongoing pandemic preparedness efforts. The assessment reports revealed that every single assessment contained different indicators and functionalities. While the focus was on identifying gaps, little is available on the progress made and where potential overlaps might occur. Nethertheless, there is a lot of good intention and a huge amount of efforts and resources being put onto these assessments. Interoperability, connecting the dots seemed to be superseded by an intersectional activism where different entities need to leave a footprint with single-sided solutions instead of a collaborative (behavior driven), systematic, holistic and integrated approach in form of integrated programs.
Conclusion: The huge efforts of everyone involved in pandemic preparedness and management, particularly of the frontline workers, are acknowledged. Drawing from various assessments’ best practices and lessons learnt, fractioned approaches continue to occur and do suggest a mindset change to drop the assumption that insufficient structures and systems can serve as solid baseline. Identifying gaps is no longer enough. Pandemic preparedness is suggested to be an integrated part of systems theory, in particular the social change 2.0 concept.