Norway to support WHO in testing highly effective evidence-based tools & measures to low down pandemic impact across globe

In these trying times during pandemic, when most of the countries in the world are facing crisis to knock down the impact of pandemic and restore normalcy, Norway came forward to support the World Health Organisation in testing highly effective evidence-based Public Health and Social Intervention (PHSI)-based tools and measures to fight the impact of pandemic across the globe.

Media Briefing on PHSIs

The World Health Organisation on June 14th organised a virtual press conference under the leadership of its chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on 'Public Health and Social Measures during COVID-19 pandemic', seeking more critical life-saving actions and support from all the governments across the world to control the menace of SARS-CoV-2.

WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus 

Norwegian Health Minister, Mr. Bent Høie announced to provide US$ 5.4 million as a financial assistance to the organisation for its research initiative on extracting best possible PHSIs-based measures that could be used to counter the impact of not only COVID-19 pandemic but would also help in preparing the world to be ready to face any other pandemic in near future.

Norwegian Health Minister, Mr. Bent Høie

The minister stressed over the use of face-masks and social distancing like tools that were possibly the best scientific interventions that the local authorities or regulatory bodies could adopt to cut the gravity of pandemic. Closing of schools, restrictions in social gatherings, training health workers are additional measures that are called as PHSIs, the Public Health and Social Interventions by the World Health Organisation.

Citing an example of the United Kingdom, he narrated that 60 percent of its population were fully vaccinated and yet the country is looming under a possible-third COVID wave strike, resulting in the delay of the opening of society for many more months”. He further added that the world has learned a lot during this pandemic but it was essential to document evidence-based PHSIs to fight such public health emergencies across the world.

He also laid stress on developing vaccines against many such viruses that take away thousands of lives annually, and later hailed the efforts of scientists and researchers all over the world to develop effective vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 in a record time.

It is to be noted that despite decades of trying to develop licensed vaccines, the world still does not have any long-lasting treatment for viruses like HIV, respiratory syncytial virus and cancer causing Epstein Barr virus and for other few diseases like chikungunya, dengue, malaria, hookworm diseases, chagas etc, which, are popularly known as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affecting most of the poor nations in tropical areas.

Understanding of the disease and its variants and to develop counter measures is very important. The minister also mentioned that the publishing websites uploaded nearly 2000 scientific articles on vaccines and treatments contrast to 12 articles over the effect of closing different parts of the society. Hence, it became obligatory to work on an extensive research with a defined methodological approach to fight any other pandemic that might behave differently from the current one.

He insisted on three of the most important tasks to accelerate the research initiative in getting the highly effective measures and tools to curb down COVID-19 pandemic and other unforeseen circumstances that could strike earth in coming years- a)  to extract to the maximum extent possible impact as well as the social and economic cost of the different PHSIs used during pandemic. b) to research on COVID-19 and relatively respiratory infections, to develop tools such improved face masks. Other tools like the use of data and artificial intelligence to track local outbreaks. c) to develop research methodologies to be used at the next pandemic (when it hits the earth) that will provide the evidence on the benefits and cost of each interventions separately and in combination with others. This initiative, thus, would be able to develop a tool box to be used to face any unforeseen public health emergency.

Norway along with other Nordic countries had adopted the culture of working from home since March 2020. All the kindergartens and schools were closed throughout the pandemic. All the sports, cultural events and public places remained shut for a longer period of time. The local authorities applied stringent efforts all over the places to cut down the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

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