A few weeks ago, a large majority of people outside of China were still referring to COVID-19 as just another form of the common flu. In a matter of days, everything changed; state of emergencies and lockdowns were declared in many countries across the globe. The number of those infected with the virus, and many of whom passed away as a result, rose dramatically in a short period of time. This was followed by panic movements, and eventually pictures of empty streets. There has been a rapid escalation in panic, the number of deaths, hospitalized people and economic consequences despite all available research and alerts published by the Global Health Organization (WHO) and specialists worldwide. Historical studies of crises and pandemics show a well documented pattern: there are systematic and continuous failures to act and evaluate the risks despite the availability of information beforehand
Kathya Berrada | Senior Programs Manager