New Delhi - A year ago, when WHO declared COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, countries in WHO South-East Asia Region were either responding to their first cases of importation or cluster of cases or keeping a strict vigil against importation of the new coronavirus.
Credit: WHO Bhutan
The following months were unprecedented, and for many reasons. Scientists, experts, governments, societies, communities and even individuals responded to the new virus with urgency and measures never witnessed before. As a result, a year later there is hope with vaccines for COVID-19, and evidence that when implemented well public health and social measures can curtail virus spread.
Nearly 35 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in 8 countries of the Region, and efforts are on across all countries to vaccinate the vulnerable population groups on a priority.
Vaccines will help save lives but even today the basic public health measures remain the foundation of the pandemic response. We cannot let our guards down as long as the virus continues to be amidst us.
The Region, which is home to one-fourth of the world’s population, has its unique challenges. While it has populous countries like India, Indonesia and Bangladesh, it also has fairly young nations like Timor-Leste and vulnerable Rohingya refugee population in Cox’s Bazar.
Marking one year of the pandemic, we trace back key events / initiatives in the Region.
Early action -
“Cases of pneumonia caused by a novel virus are being reported from Wuhan, China. We need to remain vigilant. WHO has shared with all Member States technical guidelines on surveillance, testing as well as infection prevention and control practices for suspected cases. WHO is in close contact with national authorities in the Region and will extend all possible support to ensure core capacities are geared up for addressing potential cases,” Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, said early January, as WHO began supporting countries in the Region.
On January 13, 2020 Thailand became the first country in the world to confirm a case of the new virus outside of China.
By January end, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India had confirmed cases of importation of the new virus.
Credit: WHO Sri Lanka
On 30 January 2020, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) following a meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee.
WHO repurposed staff and strengthened capacities to assist governments which geared their health resources towards response to the new coronavirus.
Technical assistance and coordination have been among the key areas of WHO’s support to countries throughout the pandemic.
Preparedness and response –
A Regional Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan laid out a roadmap for countries to address critical issues - mapping risk and vulnerabilities, surveillance and case investigation, points of entry, infection prevention and control, community engagement, maintaining essential health services, logistics and supply management and Regional and country level co-ordination. The plan was updated later in the year, as per the evolving needs and situation.
Credit: WHO Thailand/ P. Phutpheng
An important area of WHO support from the beginning remained – sharing technical information as and when more was known about the new virus, procuring essential medicines and supplies that were scarce in view of global demand, building capacities of countries as they strengthened surveillance, readied health workers and hospitals and engaging with the public.
Credit: WHO Maldives
Till date WHO has provided essential medical and laboratory supplies worth 41 million USD to countries in the Region.
Today, not only do all countries have laboratory testing capabilities, but they are being further ramped up to test for new virus variants.
WHO continues to conduct and facilitate online training sessions and webinars for interaction with subject experts and sharing of best practices on all aspects of pandemic response.
The WHO led polio surveillance networks in countries like Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Nepal, and lessons from polio eradication programmes were an added advantage in the pandemic response.
Credit: WHO Bangladesh Credit: WHO Timor-Leste
Highest political leadership at the helm of response -
This has been a striking feature of the pandemic response in the Region. Led by the highest political leadership, countries have rolled out whole-of-government and whole-of-society response to implement public health measures to detect, test, isolate, and care for the affected; and promote COVID-19 appropriate behavior such as maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
Credit: WHO Bangladesh
Engaging communities, addressing concerns –
Member countries have launched numerous campaigns using various communication channels and platforms to get community support for COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and vaccination, as WHO continues to support the campaigns with myth busters while also tracking and monitoring rumours.
Sustaining essential Health Services and building back better -
An important pillar of the pandemic response has been to maintain essential health services.
Credit: WHO DPR Korea
“People’s ordinary health needs do not disappear during such extraordinary events. Health security is not only about building capacity to prevent, prepare for and respond to acute events. It must also be about building capacity to maintain essential health services for the duration of response and into the recovery,” says the Regional Director.
On 10 September, at the Seventy-third Regional Committee Session, all countries resolved to sustain essential health services and public health programs during public health emergencies and use the pandemic as an opportunity to build back their health systems to be better.
Credit: WHO SEARO
COVID-19 vaccines
Countries in the Region committed to the Access to COVID-19 Tools [ACT] Accelerator that was launched in April 2020 by WHO and partners to support the fastest, most coordinated, global effort in history to develop tools to fight a disease. Ten out of 11 countries in the Region are a part of the COVAX Facility, the vaccine pillar of the ACT Accelerator – at the heart of which lies the equitable distribution of an effective COVID-19 vaccine
Credit: WHO Nepal
WHO supported countries in the Region with the assessment and addressal of gaps for vaccine roll out; the development of national plans and operational guidelines for vaccination; training of vaccinators; planning for vaccine and logistics management; and monitoring key activities during preparatory and implementation phases of vaccine roll-out.
Today, as countries roll out vaccination, health care and frontline workers, the elderly and other vulnerable groups are being prioritized to receive vaccines against COVID-19.
Credit: WHO Sri Lanka
The Region is playing a critical role on COVAX roll out.
Several vaccines developed and manufactured since the detection of the pandemic, including some manufactured in India, are now available through COVAX, in countries within the Region and outside. India is also donating millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine to countries in Asia and beyond.
Strengthening capacities to respond to public health emergencies -
Prone to natural disasters, the Region has been consistently investing in emergency preparedness and response. Post 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, benchmarks were developed to strengthen capacities.
Credit: WHO Indonesia
A regional health emergency fund - SEARHEF – was set up in 2008 to support emergency response. Its mandate was later expanded to fund preparedness initiatives.
In the ongoing pandemic 525,000 USD has been disbursed to three countries.
Months before the pandemic, all Member countries had adopted a resolution on 4 September 2019, to strengthen emergency preparedness capacities by scaling up risk assessment, increasing investments, and enhancing implementation of multi-sectoral plans.
The lessons learnt from the pandemic would be critical for countries to build back better and stronger.
For the ongoing pandemic to end, continued focused efforts are needed.
“Countries have acted with speed, scale and solidarity to respond to the COVID-19 crisis that has affected all of humanity and impacted social and economic life like no event in living memory. While determined efforts have helped save countless lives, ongoing commitment is needed to save many more lives,” said Dr Khetrapal Singh.
Credit: WHO Nepal