“Lying flat” detrimental to global anti-pandemic efforts

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently stated that the COVID-19 pandemic is still a public health emergency of international concern, and that countries should continue to always be ready to cope with it. The WHO statement again shows that although the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths has steadily declined, all countries must remain vigilant against the pandemic and be fully prepared to deal with the pandemic worldwide.

However, some Western countries have chosen instead to “lie flat.” Multiple localities across the U.S. have lifted their mask mandates, relaxed epidemic control measures, and closed a number of COVID testing sites. The UK has ended all COVID restrictions across the country and has stopped providing free COVID tests for the majority of its citizens. Germany has dropped all of its COVID-related protective measures. Meanwhile, Switzerland and other countries have also decided to drop all their COVID restrictions, and the Swedish government never once enforced a lockdown or closed any of the enterprises operating within its territory since the COVID-19 pandemic began over two years ago in 2020.

The COVID situations in these countries have been grim due to inadequate preventive measures against the pandemic. A report recently published by U.S. public health experts has indicated that of all the 20 wealthy countries in the world, the average life expectancy in the U.S. saw the biggest drop over the past two years. While the average life expectancy in the other 19 wealthy countries, after dropping slightly in 2020, rebounded in 2021, all while the average life expectancy in the U.S. dropped for two years in a row.

Statistics released by UK’s Office for National Statistics earlier this month indicated that an estimated one in every 13 people in the UK has had a coronavirus infection, which is 20 times higher than the average level recorded previously.

By “lying flat,” some countries have not only exposed their own domestic populations to greater health risks, but have also negatively affected global anti-pandemic efforts. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently expressed his concern that many countries are drastically reducing COVID-19 testing, inhibiting the ability of public health professionals to monitor the trends of coronavirus.

The resurgences of COVID as a result of the inadequate preventive measures taken by Western countries has placed greater pressure on developing countries. Carissa F. Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, said that vaccination gaps will put Latin America in a dangerous situation when the next wave of the pandemic hits.

Over two-thirds of Africans may have contracted COVID-19, said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, citing a WHO report. The coronavirus is still spreading all over the continent and it could continue to mutate, which includes the potential for more deadly strains. Therefore, African countries must accelerate the speed of carrying out vaccinations.

Relevant studies have shown that the fatality rate for the Omicron strain of COVID-19 has been lower compared to that of the Delta strain, and yet the number of deaths caused by Omicron is higher than that of Delta during the same period. The Omicron variant is still dangerous, and it poses a serious threat to special populations such as elderly patients and patients with severe underlying diseases. Therefore, timely nucleic acid testing, effective prevention and control measures and equal access to vaccination are still measures that should be taken.

As the WHO pointed out, countries should continue to use evidence-informed and risk-based public health and social measures and be prepared to scale up public health and social measures rapidly in response to changes in the virus and based on the population’s level of immunity.

To cope with the dramatically increasing number of confirmed COVID cases, some countries have partially reinstituted their epidemic control and prevention measures. On April 13, the U.S. federal government extended the country’s coronavirus public health emergency. Meanwhile, Germany dropped its voluntary quarantine plans and said that it will not end mandatory isolation requirements for most people in the country who catch COVID-19.

Confronted by a once-in-a-century pandemic, which will affect the future of humanity, the countries and regions of the world are not each floating along separately in 190 or so small boats, but are rather all stuck inside a giant ship on which our shared destiny hinges. Only by jointly taking scientific approaches, and staying firmly committed to fighting the pandemic can all countries walk out from under the shadow of the pandemic and secure a final victory against COVID-19.