During a press briefing on COVID-19, Dr Bruce Aylward, Special Adviser to WHO’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted the need for countries to understand that the virus can overwhelm even the most robust health systems, resulting in the need to entirely reconfigure health sectors in response.
Dr Aylward recently returned from Spain, where he led a mission to learn from the rapid outbreak of COVID-19 in the country and help advise both national and international responses. The mission included visits to the capital and 3 regions, as well as multiple health-care facilities.
Speed of the disease
Speaking on COVID-19, Dr Aylward pointed to how explosively the disease can spread in a matter of days, as it did in Spain. This dramatic increase in cases presents numerous challenges to even the most sophisticated and advanced health systems.
In response, health-care workers in Spain have worked tirelessly under difficult circumstances to treat patients. This required the Government to adjust its response and introduce strict lockdown measures, which helped the country to slow the spread of the disease and gain time to reorganize its health system.
The ability of COVID-19 to spread quickly cannot be underestimated. The extraordinary measures applied in Spain and other countries are therefore warranted to control the virus and reduce its widespread consequences.
As robust health systems come under strain, Dr Aylward explained that contingency planning in all countries comes to the fore. This involves measures to rapidly reconfigure and repurpose the whole health sector while taking into account worst-case scenarios.
Lockdowns a window of opportunity
Dr Aylward added that while lockdowns are important for slowing the virus, they cannot stop it. Countries should primarily test as much as possible, while also isolating patients with confirmed COVID-19 and tracing and quarantining their contacts.
Dr Aylward also highlighted the need for countries and governments to view the current lockdown measures as a window of opportunity to prepare for a gradual and controlled easing of restrictions.
As many European countries see a peak in coronavirus cases and others talk about shifting to the next phase, it is important that governments and health systems continue to build their capacity to avoid being overwhelmed by any potential increase in cases.
Patients with COVID-19
After visiting a number of health-care facilities in Spain, Dr Aylward remarked that while COVID-19 hospitalizes many over the age of 60, substantial numbers of people in intensive care units and in need of professional care are younger. He explained that many of those who enter intensive care stay there for approximately 3 weeks and require long periods of rehabilitation following their illness.
Emphasizing the impact of such hospitalizations on governments, Dr Aylward urged them to understand the challenges, particularly the demand for ventilators and beds in intensive care units around the world.
Throughout the press briefing, Dr Aylward noted the heroism of frontline workers in health systems who are working to curb one of the most challenging public health issues of our time.