COVID‐19 Opportunities and Recommendations

The advent of the COVID‐19 pandemic has underscored the already critical importance of SDG‐3, concerning “Good Health and Well‐Being” for all as a global aspiration. Although misinformation and disinformation have been rampant in relation to the disease, reputable health and research organizations have provided credible sources of information during the COVID‐19 crisis, helping to debunk false claims and misinformation. For example, WHO maintains an online public “Myth Busters Page” ; another is a Canadian research group that tracks COVID‐19 and matches false claims with actual fact‐checks ; still another lists and analyzes top COVID‐19 conspiracy theories. Indeed, the COVID‐19 situation has brought new emphasis to the argument that, among the population in general, developing health literacy should be a principal goal for meeting everyday needs and future health challenges. In fact, a human‐centered approach, such as design thinking , might be considered in this regard to enhance health.Understanding and tracking the spread of COVID‐19 requires research involving complex data analytics. Comparable international data on health outcomes, health systems, and other related factors are needed for meaningful inferences on various aspects of the pandemic. Keeping in mind issues of privacy and civil liberties, reliance on data and data‐driven technologies in the current crisis can improve understanding of the disease and, used judiciously, could help broaden access to health care. Identifying symptoms, tracking the virus, distributing and monitoring the availability of resources, and recognizing social determinants and impacts can involve enormous amounts of data. Around the globe, this has sparked the need for unprecedented partnerships and multidisciplinary collaborations to create networks of innovation for advanced research, rapid prototyping, and commercialization to better understand challenges and opportunities of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

 

 

1865-2

Leave a Reply

%d