In what is likely the worst pandemic since the Spanish ‘flu of the early 20^th century,  COVID-19 has spread around the globe, governments have imposed quarantines and travel bans have been implemented on an unprecedented scale. Italy imposed draconian restrictions throughout the country and, subject to much controversy under the jurisdiction of Trump In the United States, thousands of people have been subjected to legally enforceable quarantines or are in “self-quarantine”,writes European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) Executive Director Denis Horgan.

‘Quarantine’ refers to the separation of persons (or communities) who have been exposed to an infectious disease, while ‘isolation’ applies to the separation of persons who are known to be infected.

The EU response to COVID-19 

The European Union and its member states are working around the clock to fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19).  Protecting the health and safety of our citizens is the EU’s top priority. In addition, the EU and its member states are taking resolute action to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the outbreak and sustain jobs. The EU is mobilizing all resources available to help member states co-ordinate their national responses, and this includes providing objective information about the spread of the virus and effective efforts to contain it.

EU leaders have agreed on a number of priorities to coordinate the EU’s response to COVID-19:  limiting the spread of the virus ensuring the provision of medical equipment boosting research for treatments and vaccines supporting jobs, businesses and the economy. They also agreed to step up their efforts to ensure that EU citizens stranded in third countries who want to go home can do so.

The EU has agreed on a co-ordinated temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU. Member states and non-EU Schengen countries have been invited to extend these temporary restrictions until 15 May.

The EU institutions are facilitating continuous contact and coordination between national ministries and authorities to develop concrete EU response measures. This includes the gradual lifting of containment measures, with a view to entering the recovery phase and revitalising our societies and economies.

The EU is discussing with industry how to convert production lines to supply more equipment. For example, textile manufacturers may be able to produce masks. Manufacturers have been provided with guidance on how to increase production in three areas: masks and other personal protective equipment, hand sanitizers and disinfectants, and 3D printing.  The EU has regulated exports of personal protective equipment outside the EU to ensure adequate supply in all member states.

Medical equipment 

The EU and member states are working to set up a common European reserve of medical equipment known as the ‘rescEU’ stockpile, which gathers masks and ventilators. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre manages the distribution of the equipment to ensure it goes where it is most needed to treat infected patients, protect healthcare workers and help slow down the spread of the virus.  The EU has harmonised the European standards for medical supplies and made them freely available to speed up an increase in production. This will allow producers to get high-performing devices onto the market more quickly.

QUARANTINABLE DISEASES

These have included:  Cholera, Diphtheria, Infectious tuberculosis, Plague, Smallpox, Yellow fever, Viral hemorrhagic fevers,  Severe acute respiratory syndromes (COVID-19), Influenza that can cause a pandemic.

No health care system can sustain a massive influx of infectious cases to emergency departments and hospitals. Patients with mild symptoms are advised to stay home when possible, to facilitate this step, workers have been allowed to telecommute wherever it’s feasible to do so, but many low-wage and gig workers cannot afford to stay home, nor can they handle the economic impact of other social distancing measures that may help to slow transmission.

Despite the breadth and allure of travel bans and mandatory quarantine, an effective response to COVID-19 requires newer, more creative legal tools. With COVID-19 in many communities worldwide, the time has come to imagine and implement public health laws that emphasize support rather than restriction.

What is the risk factor of COVID-19?
People at high risk from coronavirus include people who have had an organ transplant, are having chemotherapy or antibody treatment for cancer, including immunotherapy, are having an intense course of radiotherapy (radical radiotherapy) for lung cancer or are having targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system.

 People at moderate risk include those who are 70 or older, are pregnant, have a lung condition that’s not severe (such as asthma, COPD, emphysema or bronchitis) have heart disease (such as heart failure) have diabetes, have chronic kidney disease or liver disease (such as hepatitis) or are very obese (a BMI of 40 or above).

EAPM’s next online Presidency conference entitled ‘Maintaining Public Trust in use of Digital Health for health and Science in a COVID and Post COVID World’ takes place on 30 June, click here for the agenda and to register, click here.

Communicating COVID-19 correctly: The role of experts

It has been just under two months since the UK shut down because of COVID-19, with other European countries doing likewise just before the UK, and it’s almost hard to remember what life was like before social distancing, essential business declarations and quarantining. As the world scrambles to establish a new normal, everyone has struggled to react to the daily changes that have an impact on every aspect of their lives.

As for prime ministers and politicians, they have been stuck in a never-ending cycle of putting out fires all day and never getting ahead of the game, much less operating strategically.

As stated above, the reactions of politicians and the national media to experts during a time of genuine and immediate risk to the public has certainly been interesting and illuminating.

In 2016, minister Michael Gove said: “I think the people in this country have had enough of experts” – how far off the mark does that appear now?

The current national mood in the UK is one of crying out for the latest updates from scientists, technocrats, and other experts, as the country, and others like it, grinds slowly back to ‘normal’ life, should we ever be fortunate enough to regain such an existence. In short, the public’s reaction to the communications efforts so far will be crucial to deciding how events will proceed from here on in.

Ipsos MORI’s poll indicates that, when it comes to COVID-19, the UK public hasn’t “had enough of experts”. And, however inept our politicians’ communications and handling of COVID-19 matters so far, we can draw strength from the fact the UK’s leaders are performing just a little bit better than US President Donald Trump.

EAPM’s next online Presidency conference entitled ‘Maintaining Public Trust in use of Digital Health for health and Science in a COVID and Post COVID World’ takes place on 30 June, click here for the agenda and to register, click here.

European Parliament ENVI Committee on COVID

The Parliament’s health committee coordinators, ENVI, have made the decision to request an own initiative report on the coronavirus pandemic and start preparing for a hearing on related topics. Another request is that the Parliament’s policy department analyze COVID-19.

WHO marks ‘unprecedented solidaity’ but Trump holds sway

World Health Organization (WHO) Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus should have had a breeze on Wednesday (20 May), even amid the raging coronavirus pandemic, which is now approaching 5 million diagnosed cases.

There was some cause for celebration – he called it  “unprecedented solidarity” on display at the World Health Assembly with regards to coronavirus, for one thing, and a victory on Ebola.

But it was not to be. US President Donald Trump’s funding threats took centre stage, leaving Ghebreyesus and other leaders of the WHO’s COVID-19 response team floundering amid multiple questions, reacting in frustration to Trump’s stance. But Trump was not without problems of his own – in a garbled live television meeting with drug company executives, Trump failed to get executives to guarantee to him that the production of an effective vaccine for the disease was imminent.

And, as far as the WHO’s role in a post-COVID world is concerned: “If anything, we will see WHO having more power going forward,” said Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh. Speaking during a discussion  hosted by the Chatham House think tank, Sridhar said she believes member countries are looking to WHO “to do more than it is actually able to do over the past few months.” She added: “The result might be that we need an institution that has greater power.”

EAPM’s next online Presidency conference entitled ‘Maintaining Public Trust in use of Digital Health for health and Science in a COVID and Post COVID World’ takes place on 30 June, click here for the agenda and to register, click here.

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The regulation enabling the extension of the validity of certificates and licences will support those transport operators, individuals and national administrations that, owing to the coronavirus restrictions, are having difficulties fulfilling certain administrative formalities before the expiry of the relevant deadlines. This applies for instance to driving licences, roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and boat-masters’ certificates.

Certain periodic checks in the road, rail, inland navigation and shipping sectors will also be postponed temporarily, as they may not be feasible in current circumstances.

The text takes into account the fact that, given the differences in the spread of the pandemic throughout Europe, some member states are able to continue to deliver specific licences or certificates, while others find it difficult or impossible to do so. However, even if a country continues to issue licences itself, it will need to accept licences originating in another member state which has used the possibility of extending their validity. This will help ensure the smooth functioning of the internal market and continued cross-border activities.

The amendment to the port services regulation will contribute to the financial sustainability of ship operators in the context of the pandemic by providing flexibility to the existing rule that requires member states to ensure that a port infrastructure charge is levied. The amendment will give ports the possibility to waive, suspend, reduce or defer the charges for port users due between 1 March 2020 and 31 October 2020.

The Council’s vote on the two regulations was taken using a written procedure, which was concluded today. The European Parliament voted on 15 May 2020.

Both legal acts will enter into force the day after they are published in the EU Official Journal, which is expected to take place next week.

The legislative process is still ongoing for the other two proposals in the transport emergency package presented by the Commission on 29 April 2020, which concern aviation and the fourth railway package.

As part of its emergency support package to tackle the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis, the EU has put in place a temporary instrument to help workers keep their jobs during the crisis.

The Council has adopted SURE, a temporary scheme which can provide up to €100 billion of loans under favourable terms to member states. The instrument enables member states to request EU financial support to help finance the sudden and severe increases of national public expenditure, as from 1 February 2020, related to national short-time work schemes and similar measures, including for self-employed persons, or to some health-related measures, in particular at the work place in response to the crisis.

SURE is one of the three safety nets, worth €540bn, for jobs and workers, businesses and member states, contained in the Eurogroup report agreed on 9 April 2020. EU leaders endorsed the report on 23 April and called for the package to be operational by 1 June 2020.

“The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an exceptional challenge for Europe, as it puts many lives and livelihoods at risk. Beyond the public health implications, the outbreak has also caused massive economic and social disruption with many companies having to rely on public support to preserve employment. SURE will be a vital safety net to protect jobs and workers as it will ensure that member states have the necessary means to finance measures to tackle unemployment and loss of income, as well as some health-related measures.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Croatian Finance Minister Zdravko Maric

In order to provide requesting member states with financial assistance at favourable terms, the Commission will raise funds on international capital markets on behalf of the EU. SURE loans will be backed by the EU budget and guarantees provided by member states according to their share in the EU’s GNI. The total amount of guarantees will be €25bn.

While all member states will be able to make use of the instrument, SURE will act as a particularly important safety net for workers in the hardest-hit economies. Formally, the financial assistance will be granted by a decision adopted by the Council on a proposal from the Commission.

SURE will become available after all member states have provided their guarantees. The instrument will then be operational until 31 December 2022. On the proposal from the Commission, the Council may decide to extend the period of availability of the instrument, each time for a further 6-month period, if the severe economic disturbances caused by the COVID-19 outbreak persist.