A Beacon for Dark Times Rethinking Scientific Evidence for Environmental and Public Health Action in the Coronavirus Diseases 2019 Era
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Date
2020-11-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MAR Microbiology
Abstract
As the COVID-19 pandemic emergence progresses and overwhelming healthcare
systems, countries are reviewing their policies to protect those at increased risk of
severe disease. These can be policies aimed at suppressing transmission in the wider
population, vaccination (if vaccine becomes available) as the world anxiously awaits
an effective COVID-19 vaccine that can be readily distributed. Until then, the priority
is to reenergize countries to act rather than react. Even as the uncertainties of the
COVID-19 crisis multiply, the aim must be to rebuild for the long-term protection i.e.,
explicit measures to protect people at increased risk by reducing interactions amongst
people in danger, etc. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has forced us to
realize the fact that progress towards Sustainable Development Goals is threatened
and fragile, as the numbers of people heading into poverty are now at increased risk
of setbacks. It also stresses the need to strengthen the relationship between scientific
evidence to protect the environment and public health. This requires an
understanding of the importance of the interventions to address structural inequity,
global health care and coverage, and comprehensive social protection schemes as
part of the response.
It is time to recognize that not all of us are at equal risk of severe outcomes from
COVID-19 and to work with stakeholders to formulate an effective response. This
study presents evidence from studies informing policymakers about the number of
individuals that might be at increased risk or high risk of severe COVID-19 in different
nations. Therefore, there is a need to develop scientific evidence for rapid
assessments of environmental and public health action in the era of coronavirus
diseases, which should focus on different policies guidelines to prevent those at
increased risk. Estimating the number of people at high risk of severe COVID-19 is
important to help countries to design more effective interventions to protect vulnerable
individuals and reduce strain on health systems. This information can provide and
inform a comprehensive assessment of the health, social, and economic consequences
of shielding different groups, suggesting the need to develop a longer-term Covid-19
management strategy
Description
Since the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has triggered seismic economic and societal
changes which grapple with an uncertain future, that has consumed and changed our lives, the
COVID-19 crisis also revealed that the country is deteriorating in terms of environmental/public
health readiness. As COVID-19 has become an imminent emerging, rapidly evolving situation of
environmental/public health concern with ‘threat multiplier to health in the 21st century. As
confusion, disorientation, agitation and even psychosis have been associated with symptoms of
COVID-19. The body of research is linking infection as a result of virus and neurological
symptoms. The number of publicly reported deaths rate of the population due to the coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) may underestimate the pandemic’s death toll. These estimates are
based on provisional data that are often incomplete and may rule out unreported deaths from
COVID-19.