New Frontier

As I have been locked down for the last 16 days it has given me time to reflect on our current situation globally.

The measures that haven taken may seem extreme but they were not made lightly, and in some cases, they should have been made sooner. Italy is completely overwhelmed by COVID-19 with 69176 cases and 6820 deaths and it is not clear when they will see the end. Spain is going through its own challenges at the moment with 39673 cases and 2696 deaths, and even with the advance warning, it doesn't look like it is adequately prepared to manage the health system demands when it reaches peak of the curve. And then there is the UK with 8077 cases and 407 deaths, and USA with 55 231 cases and 801 deaths, only begrudging initiated the lockdown only a few days ago. Testing for COVID-19 is not widely available and not testing has be strategy for bring down the infection rate, these numbers are probably tip of the iceberg.

Despite frustration and fear, there is hope and things we can learn. The world and mobilise in ways never seen before:

1. In all the place where there is hard lock down, the people are listening
2. At 8pm everyday Spanish residents go out the their windows and gives applauds to the health workers who tireless and fearless doing their jobs attending to the ill
3. There are global call for science and research to create better diagnosis, treatment and preventions

• In Europe (€47M pledge in R and D though they poorly announced €168 from existing program for SME announced 4 days before the deadline)
• In Canada (€179M pledge in R and D)
• In the US (Congress approved $8 Billion response packages)

1. People from not medical supply sections are chipping to health the systems

• Tesla delivering 1000 ventilators
• FabLab producing 3D printed valves
• Some companies have increased salary for worker, who are working during lockdown (online groceries, amazon)
• L'Oréal making hand sanitizer
• Ford and 3M building ventilators using seat ventilation fans

These all give us hope we will come out of this stronger but in the short and medium term it will be painful. This pandemic demonstrates two important things, 1) together we are better, 2) the world is not prepared to manage a pandemic.

What can be done?

There is unprecedented amount of resource available to fund science and research. There are many different approaches to mobilise innovations, businesses, and people. There is wealth of innovation and technology that is not being used that could solve in the short term the medical supply issue. We need analysis the difference in approaches and identify the tiggers for decision making. We have new tools to model and monitor emerging epidemics like the CDC Epi Info, blueDot, and all agencies have some sort of model they use to monitor emerging infectious disease. To enable us to be better the next time we need health authorities to be transparent with sharing information, better diagnostics solutions and evidence based response. Emerging disease do not stop at the border, to have our decision makers act as it does is like putting our head in the sand. We as global citizens demand better!