An international panel of experts issued sharp critiques of governments around the world over their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling their performances “untrustworthy and ineffective” and saying they suffered “massive global failure at multiple levels.”
The judgment, which highlighted a detrimental lack of international cooperation, was published in a 57-page final report by The Lancet COVID-19 Commission on Wednesday that also outlined policy recommendations aimed at preventing future pandemic disasters.
Officially, more than 7 million people have died since the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first identified in late 2019, according to data by the Institute for Health metrics and Evaluation (IHME), referenced in the Lancet paper. But the IHME, an independent health research organization based at the University of Washington, also estimates that the actual number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 – including unreported deaths – actually stand at more than 17 million.
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“Too many governments have failed to adhere to basic norms of institutional rationality and transparency, too many people—often influenced by misinformation—have disrespected and protested against basic public health precautions, and the world's major powers have failed to collaborate to control the pandemic.”
The lack of coordination among countries, along with critical delays in reporting the initial outbreak, in acknowledging airborne exposure as the primary method of transmission, and in implementing measures to slow the spread are just a few of the key critiques leveled in the report. The Commission also cited the failure to ensure equitable distribution of protective gear, devices and hoarding vaccines, to combat disinformation, and to protect vulnerable populations.
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Despite the failures of the last two years, the panel stressed the urgency of global cooperation in order to end the current COVID-19 pandemic and be ready for the next one.
Among other measures, the panel called for vigilance around new variants, coordinated surveillance to monitor the risks around future waves, and pushed for high immunization coverage around the world. They specifically called out China, the U.S., the EU, India and the Russian Federation to set aside geopolitical rivalries and asked U.N. organizations and major economies for leadership.
