Pandemic preparedness crucial, five years on from Covid

Ahead of the fifth anniversary of Covid-19 being declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, IOSH is calling for planning and preparedness to remain high on the agenda. 

Ruth Wilkinson, IOSH’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, said: “Pandemics remain on the UK’s National Risk Register (2023 edition). And member states of the World Health Organization continue to negotiate on the Pandemic Accord. This looks to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, to prevent and respond to future pandemics better.  

“An all-of-government approach, one which sees collaboration and information sharing between countries along with policy coherence, is crucial. This forms part of the political commitments being sought within the Accord as well as a whole-of-society approach to pandemic preparedness and response.”

Processes

Ruth added that employers have a crucial role to play, to ensure they have the necessary processes in place for future emergencies. 

She said: “These arrangements may be part of the health and safety management systems and through risk assessments as well as within business continuity planning. 

“Pandemic preparedness is so important. We saw in 2020 how quickly Covid-19 took hold, with it impacting workers and business operations including supply chains, as well as the impacts on public health.  

“Lessons must be learned from Covid-19, at a national level and within businesses, as both have a crucial role to play. Employers must follow the legislation and regulator advice for the country they are in.

“With so much misinformation around, it’s also crucial that credible sources are used by employers when developing arrangements, undertaking risk assessments and managing risks.” 

The WHO officially announced Covid-19 was a global pandemic on 11 March 2020, leading to countries around the world going into lockdown to restrict the spread of the virus. While this meant many people could work remotely, others in key industries had to continue going to work, creating significant health and safety challenges. 

With health and safety professionals playing a key role in advising and managing the risk of Covid-19 spreading through workplaces, IOSH created a suite of guidance and information to support this work. The Institution also contributed to free Covid-19 online courses with the World Health Organization on its online training platform. As businesses began to open up again and people returned to workplaces, IOSH provided further guidance.

Prevention

While five years have now passed since the pandemic was declared, IOSH believes there must still be a focus on infection prevention and control and is supporting health and safety professionals with this. It is also backing the creation of a ‘pandemic accord’, which sees the WHO bringing together member states with the aim of preventing a repeat of the suffering and loss caused by Covid-19. 

Ruth added: “We believe that a more integrated approach is needed internationally, nationally and across relevant sectors, industry bodies, local authorities and with trade unions. For this reason, IOSH supports the principle of a pandemic accord.  

“We support the strengthening of regulatory systems and building resilience and capacities in health systems. We also support the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches – which means collaboration across employment, education, public health and other sectors – to ensure workers are protected. We also advocate the need for credible and evidence-based information on pandemics, their causes, effects and drivers.”