According to a new article published by the Press Trust of India, specific efforts and resources will be required to save lives as SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate among the Indian population. Other than saving lives through continued efforts and resources, a large panel of multidisciplinary experts from over 100 countries recommended five other actions to end COVID-19 as a public health threat.

To develop a global consensus, a Delphi study was used, which included a panel of 386 academic, health, NGO, government, and other experts from 112 countries and territories who took part in three rounds of structured consultation. The results of the study included a set of 41 statements and 57 recommendations across six major areas, namely communication, health systems, vaccination, prevention, treatment and care, and inequities.

The top three consensus recommendations are a whole-of-society strategy that involves multiple disciplines, sectors, and actors to avoid fragmented efforts; a whole-of-government approach to identify, review and address resilience in health systems to make them more responsive to people′s needs; and a vaccines-plus approach that includes a combination of COVID-19 vaccination, other structural and behavioral prevention measures, treatment, and financial support measures. Other recommendations published in the journal Nature, with at least 99% agreement, include communicating effectively with the public, rebuilding public trust, and engaging communities in managing the pandemic response.

The study added that over 180 organizations from 72 countries have already endorsed the findings of the consensus study, which was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). 

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/multidisciplinary-experts-across-countries-reach-consensus-on-ending-covid-as-public-health-threat/95301057 )