UN: COVID won’t be the last pandemic — we need to prepare for the next

António Guterres, the United Nations (UN) secretary-general, says the world needs to prepare for the next pandemic as COVID-19 will not be the last.

Guterres said this on Monday in his message to mark the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.

International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, marked on December 27, is to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for and partnership against epidemics.

The UN secretary-general said: “COVID-19 demonstrated how quickly an infectious disease can sweep across the world, push health systems to the brink, and upend daily life for all of humanity.

“It also revealed our failure to learn the lessons of recent health emergencies like SARS, avian influenza, Zika, Ebola and others.

“And it reminded us that the world remains woefully unprepared to stop localized outbreaks from spilling across borders, and spiraling into a global pandemic.

“COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic humanity will face. Infectious diseases remain a clear and present danger to every country.

“As we respond to this health crisis, we need to prepare for the next one. This means scaling-up investments in better monitoring, early detection and rapid response plans in every country — especially the most vulnerable.

“It means strengthening primary health care at the local level to prevent collapse. It means ensuring equitable access to lifesaving interventions like vaccines for all people.

“And it means achieving Universal Health Coverage. Most of all, it means building global solidarity to give every country a fighting chance to stop infectious diseases in their tracks.

“An outbreak anywhere is a potential pandemic everywhere.

“On this international day of epidemic preparedness, let’s give this issue the focus, attention and investment it deserves.”