GENEVA: The catastrophic scale of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic could have been prevented, an independent global panel concluded on Wednesday, but a “toxic cocktail” of dithering and poor coordination meant the warning signs went unheeded. And the panel also called on the world’s wealthiest nations to fund new organizations dedicated to preparing for the next pandemic. The report, “Covid-19: Make it the Last Pandemic,” argued that the global alarm system needed overhauling to prevent a similar catastrophe. The WHO and the World Trade Organization should also get major vaccine-producing countries and manufacturers to agree voluntary licensing and technology transfers for Covid-19 vaccines, the panel said. The panel believe their recommendations would have stopped Covid-19 from becoming a pandemic, had they been in place before the outbreak.

Source: Manila Times May 12, 2021 11:26 UTC