According to a new Lancet report, failures at multiple levels in the COVID-19 response led to millions of preventable deaths and reversed the progress made toward UN Sustainable Development Goals in many countries. The Commission considered the global response in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and cited widespread failures of prevention, transparency, rationality, basic public health practice, operational cooperation, and international solidarity resulting in 17.7 million deaths. 

The Commission drew evidence using new epidemiological and financial analyses to outline recommendations that will help hasten the end of the COVID-19 emergency, lessen the impact of future health threats, and achieve long-term sustainable development. The report warned that achieving these goals will depend upon strengthened multilateralism made by a reformed and bolstered World Health Organization (WHO). Improving technology and knowledge transfers for health commodities, as well as improving international health financing for resource-limited countries and regions, are critical investments for achieving the goal. 

Professor Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia University, US, stated that the staggering human toll of the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to profound tragedy and a massive societal failure at multiple levels. He added that all the people had to face the hard truth that governments had failed to adhere to basic norms of institutional rationality and transparency. On the other hand, too many people have protested against basic public health precautions influenced by misinformation, along with several nations failure to promote global collaboration to control the pandemic. 

The commission report published in the reputed publication noted that the delay by WHO in declaring COVID a "public health emergency of international concern" and not being able to recognize the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 coincided with national governments′ failure to cooperate and coordinate travel protocols, testing strategies, commodity supply chains, data reporting systems, and other vital international policies to suppress the pandemic. The report further added that the lack of cooperation among governments for the financing and distribution of key health commodities, including vaccines, personal protective equipment, and resources for vaccine development and production in low-income countries, has come at dire costs.