World Health Day 2021: A time for tempered optimism

It’s World Health Day and this year we’re in the unusual position of having a better understanding of ‘global health’ than ever before...

For better or for worse, our news, social media channels and family chats never stray far from the topic of the pandemic and its echoing impact on our physical and mental health, not only in our own countries, but everywhere else. We’re endlessly viewing charts and graphs, comparing one country against another, successes against missteps, and vaccination rates here vs there.

With this barrage of data, it stands to reason that many of us, me included, have spent a year endlessly looking for insight. We all needed reassurance that COVID can be defeated and a realistic timeline, and we’ve all had to ask ourselves difficult questions: what does COVID mean for us as individuals, for our healthcare systems and for those of us who are living with other conditions?

Building a fairer, healthier world

This year’s theme – “Building a fairer, healthier world” – could not be more poignant. A year or more of devastating consequences from a new virus has thrown into harsh relief the many health inequalities that exist in every country. Sadly, these failures will not be easily recovered from, and may be yet another example of a ‘long-COVID’, with repercussions that will continue to resonate for years to come.

Having said that, there is hope that by shining a light on these gaps and challenges, we may be in a better place to devote energies into single-mindedly addressing them on a global scale. Today is a day to acknowledge progress while focusing worldwide attention on the problems yet to be solved.

Living through a pandemic with a pre-existing respiratory condition

For me, working in pulmonary hypertension (PH), my thoughts are naturally with those who live with PH in its various forms, including the rare but life-limiting, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Many of those people and their families have had no choice but to stay in almost total seclusion for months on end, something that few of us could easily withstand.

Those who are suffering without a diagnosis may be too afraid to go to their doctor, or unable to undergo tests because they’re not classed as a priority. For people who don’t yet know they have PAH, living with symptoms that are similar to common conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this may mean an even longer journey to an effective diagnosis – something that still takes an average of two years, even when health systems are not being overwhelmed!

Hope for the future

It’s fair to say we’re not out of the woods yet, but I won’t end on a gloomy note. Though these challenges mean we won’t be getting back to a ‘normal’ life for some time, we can at least look forward with optimism. 413 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had already been produced by the beginning of March, according to Airfinity data, and the company projects that this will rise to 9.5 billion doses by the end of 2021. The Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University in North Carolina thinks this is actually too conservative and puts their estimate at 12 billion doses!

To everyone asking, ‘what more can be done to speed things up?’, well the good news is that there is an unprecedented level of collaboration between companies that would normally be competing. I couldn’t have been prouder to hear early in March that Johnson & Johnson and Merck, both headquartered in New Jersey, are collaborating to manufacture vaccines – this is just one example but there are plenty more and it’s genuinely wonderful to see.

Back in the UK, where I’m based, we’re starting to see a gradual lift in restrictions as we phase out of total lockdown. I am excited to finally be able to spend time with extended family and friends again, albeit outside (probably in the rain!), but we can’t let those first welcome hours in the local beer garden go to our heads. For now, and the foreseeable future, we need to be cautious not just for our own benefit, but for everyone we love and those living with other conditions that deserve and need our protection.

Stay safe.