The race to build a pandemic-proof world

Six years after COVID-19 killed millions, battered health systems, disrupted lives and brought the global economy to a virtual standstill, the world is still grappling with how we can prepare better for the next pandemic.The need is even greater amid growing threats to global stability and security from emerging infectious diseases as well as climate-related crises and conflicts. What happened?Over seven million lives were lost due to COVID-19, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO). The pandemic did not just claim lives. It shattered economies, disrupted entire health systems and exposed how unevenly rich and poor countries could access vaccines, tests and treatments.The global response to the pandemic was described by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as a “story of human ingenuity and human failure”. Vaccines were developed at record speed, but the lack of preparedness meant the most vulnerable had the least access to care and suffered most.© UNICEF/U.S. CDC/Florence GoupilA UNICEF worker travels down a river in Peru as part of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in September 2022. (file)Why it mattersViruses, like COVID-19, do not respect borders.An outbreak det...