Skip Navigation Links.
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 12 (2024)</span>Volume 12 (2024)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 11 (2023)</span>Volume 11 (2023)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 10 (2022)</span>Volume 10 (2022)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 9 (2021)</span>Volume 9 (2021)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 8 (2020)</span>Volume 8 (2020)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 7 (2019)</span>Volume 7 (2019)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 6 (2018)</span>Volume 6 (2018)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 5 (2017)</span>Volume 5 (2017)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 4 (2016)</span>Volume 4 (2016)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 3 (2015)</span>Volume 3 (2015)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 2 (2014)</span>Volume 2 (2014)
Collapse <span class="m110 colortj mt20 fontw700">Volume 1 (2013)</span>Volume 1 (2013)
American Journal of Public Health Research. 2022, 10(1), 22-26
DOI: 10.12691/AJPHR-10-1-4
Original Research

Global Public Health Responses: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic between March 2020 and 2021

Umnia Hasib1 and Fatih Sekercioglu1,

1School of Occupational and Public Health, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

Pub. Date: December 20, 2021
Full Text PDF

Cite this paper

Umnia Hasib and Fatih Sekercioglu. Global Public Health Responses: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic between March 2020 and 2021. American Journal of Public Health Research. 2022; 10(1):22-26. doi: 10.12691/AJPHR-10-1-4

Abstract

Between March 2020 to March 2021, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) exposed the readiness and reactivity of global healthcare systems. Analyzing various countries in each continent showed a delayed strict response to the novel respiratory virus had more considerable consequences with COVID-19 related cases, intensive care unit admissions and deaths than nations with strict and swift lockdown procedures. It is a stark reminder for countries to dedicate public health protocols and have unified government responses and supply chains that can quickly adapt to minimize damage to their citizens' social, economic, and physical health and well-being. This is already relevant with the rise of variant strains, particularly with the impact of the rising wave of the COVID-19 and its variants.

Keywords

COVID-19, lockdown, response, public health

Copyright

Creative CommonsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References

[1]  Colfer, B. (2020). Public policy responses to COVID-19 in Europe. European Policy Analysis, 6(2), 126-137.
 
[2]  Ravelo, J.R., & Jerving, S. (2021). COVID-19 – a timeline of the coronavirus outbreak. Devex. https://www.devex.com/news/covid-19-a-timeline-of-the-coronavirus-outbreak-96396.
 
[3]  Yang, Z., & Li, J. (2021). Letter from china: Response after the first wave of COVID-19. Respirology (Carlton, Vic.), 26(3), 273-274.
 
[4]  Xia, A. (2020). China sees zero domestic covid-19 cases for third day. South China morning post. https://www.scmp.com/video/coronavirus/3076272/china-sees-zero-domestic-covid-19-cases-third-day-imported-coronavirus.
 
[5]  WHO. (2021). China Coronavirus (COVID-19). https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/cn.
 
[6]  Tashiro, A., & Shaw, R. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic response in japan: What is behind the initial flattening of the curve? Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 12(13), 5250.
 
[7]  WHO. (2021). Japan Coronavirus (COVID-19). https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/jp
 
[8]  Sharma, G. D., Talan, G., Srivastava, M., Yadav, A., & Chopra, R. (2020). A qualitative enquiry into strategic and operational responses to Covid-19 challenges in south asia. Journal of Public Affairs, 20(4), e2195-n/a.
 
[9]  WHO. (2021). Singapore Coronavirus (COVID-19). https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/sg.
 
[10]  Pung, R. (01/01/2021). Effectiveness of containment measures against COVID-19 in singapore: Implications for other national containment efforts Blackwell Publishing.
 
[11]  Lone, S. A., & Ahmad, A. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic - an African perspective. Emerging Microbes & Infections, 9(1), 1300-1308.
 
[12]  Gaye, B., Khoury, S., Cene, C. W., Kingue, S., N'Guetta, R., Lassale, C., Baldé, D., Diop, I. B., Dowd, J. B., Mills, M. C., & Jouven, X. (2020). Socio-demographic and epidemiological consideration of Africa's COVID-19 response: What is the possible pandemic course? Nature Medicine, 26(7), 996-999.
 
[13]  Massinga Loembé, M., Tshangela, A., Salyer, S. J., Varma, J. K., Ouma, A. E. O., & Nkengasong, J. N. (2020). COVID-19 in Africa: The spread and response. Nature Medicine, 26(7), 999-1003.
 
[14]  Justman, J. (2020). Africa in the path of covid-19. The New England Journal of Medicine, 383(3).
 
[15]  WHO Africa. (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19). https://www.afro.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus-covid-19.
 
[16]  WHO Africa. (2021). What is Africa's vaccine production capacity. https://www.afro.who.int/news/what-africas-vaccine-production-capacity.
 
[17]  Oppong, J. R., Dadson, Y. A., & Ansah, H. (2021). Africa's innovation and creative response to COVID-19. African Geographical Review, 1-18.
 
[18]  Cheshmehzangi, A. (2020). COVID-19 and the small commonwealth oceania countries: Promising regional co-ordination. Round Table (London), 109(4), 466-467.
 
[19]  Baker, M. G., Kvalsvig, A., & Verrall, A. J. (2020). New zealand's COVID‐19 elimination strategy. Medical Journal of Australia, 213(5), 198-200.e1.
 
[20]  Moloney, K., & Moloney, S. (2020). Australian quarantine policy: From centralization to coordination with Mid-Pandemic COVID-19 shifts. Public Administration Review, 80(4), 671-682.
 
[21]  Huang, Q. S., Wood, T., Jelley, L., Jennings, T., Jefferies, S., Daniells, K., Nesdale, A., Dowell, T., Turner, N., Campbell-Stokes, P., Balm, M., Dobinson, H. C., Grant, C. C., James, S., Aminisani, N., Ralston, J., Gunn, W., Bocacao, J., Danielewicz, J., . . . NPIsImpactOnFlu Consortium. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 nonpharmaceutical interventions on influenza and other respiratory viral infections in new zealand. Nature Communications, 12(1), 1001-7.
 
[22]  WHO Western Pacific. (2021). COVID-19 Situation Report. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/internal-publications-detail/covid-19-situation-report-for-the-western-pacific-region-45-10-march-2021---17-march-2021.
 
[23]  Spiteri, G., Fielding, J., Diercke, M., Campese, C., Enouf, V., Gaymard, A., Bella, A., Sognamiglio, P., Sierra Moros, M. J., Riutort, A. N., Demina, Y. V., Mahieu, R., Broas, M., Bengnér, M., Buda, S., Schilling, J., Filleul, L., Lepoutre, A., Saura, C., Mailles, A., … Ciancio, B. C. (2020). First cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the WHO European Region, 24 January to 21 February 2020. Euro surveillance: bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin, 25(9), 2000178.
 
[24]  Cheng, S. O., & Khan, S. (2020). Europe's response to COVID-19 in march and april 2020 - A letter to the editor on “World health organization declares global emergency: A review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19)” (int J surg 2020; 76: 71-6). International Journal of Surgery (London, England), 78, 3-4.
 
[25]  Goniewicz, K., Khorram-Manesh, A., Hertelendy, A. J., Goniewicz, M., Naylor, K., Burkle, F. M., Sahlgrenska akademin, Göteborgs universitet, Institutionen för kliniska vetenskaper, Avdelningen för kirurgi, Gothenburg University, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Surgery, & Sahlgrenska Academy. (2020). Current response and management decisions of the european union to the COVID-19 outbreak: A review.Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 12(9), 3838.
 
[26]  WHO Europe. (2021). Statement - WHO European Region: COVID-19 case incidence on the rise as deaths edge towards 1 million. https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/statements/statement-who-european-region-covid-19-case-incidence-on-the-rise-as-deaths-edge-towards-1-million.
 
[27]  Burki, T. (2020). COVID-19 in Latin America. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 20(5), 547-548.
 
[28]  Taylor, L. (2020). How Latin America is fighting covid-19, for better and worse. BMJ : British Medical Journal (Online), 370.
 
[29]  Cuevas, A., & Barquera, S. (2020). COVID-19, obesity, and undernutrition: A major challenge for latin american countries. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 28(10), 1791-1792.
 
[30]  Ramírez de la Cruz, Edgar E, Grin, E. J., Sanabria‐Pulido, P., Cravacuore, D., & Orellana, A. (2020). The transaction costs of government responses to the COVID-19 emergency in latin america. Public Administration Review, 80(4), 683-695.
 
[31]  PAHO. (2021). COVID-19 Situation Reports. https://www.paho.org/en/covid-19-situation-reports.
 
[32]  Worobey, M., Pekar, J., Larsen, B. B., Nelson, M. I., Hill, V., Joy, J. B., Rambaut, A., Suchard, M. A., Wertheim, J. O., & Lemey, P. (2020). The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in Europe and North America. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 370(6516), 564-570.
 
[33]  Béland, D., Dinan, S., Rocco, P., & Waddan, A. (2021). Social policy responses to COVID‐19 in canada and the united states: Explaining policy variations between two liberal welfare state regimes. Social Policy & Administration, 55(2), 280-294.
 
[34]  Liu, M., A.B., Maxwell, C. J., PhD., Armstrong, P., PhD., Schwandt, M.,M.D.M.P.H., Moser, A.,M.D.M.Sc, McGregor, M. J.,M.D.M.H.Sc, . . . Dhalla, I. A.,M.D.M.Sc. (2020). COVID-19 in long-term care homes in ontario and british columbia: CMAJ. Canadian Medical Association.Journal, 192(47), E1540-E1546.
 
[35]  Krishnan, L., Ogunwole, S. M., & Cooper, L. A. (2020). Historical insights on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the 1918 influenza pandemic, and racial disparities: Illuminating a path forward. Annals of Internal Medicine, 173(6), 474-481.
 
[36]  Government of Ontario. (2021). COVID-19 vaccines for Ontario. https://ddl.ink/Aa0M.