Overview of Disaster Preparedness and Response Strategies Regarding COVID-19 Crisis Control for Public Safety and Health Protection
Abstract
The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has incurred tremendous human, social, and economic costs, globally. Major economies across all continents are struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and to flatten the infected curve. This study focuses on critically reviewing the strategies opted globally to control COVID-19. The main objective of this paper is to overview the pandemic conditions, responses of the public, and actions of the governments with the aim to highlight the importance of public health preparedness and risk management strategies. The current study uses an organized method of locating, assembling, summarizing, and evaluating the literature on COVID-19 control strategies adopted in different countries. It overviews the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic in the countries hardest hit by it. The study uses the systemic literature review method to overview, summarize, and organize the literature regarding COVID-19 spread control strategies. A comprehensive Disaster Management and Response System (DMRS) strategy can be productive in limiting the pandemic spread and may also help to flatten the curve. The current study, based on the experiences of different countries, frames a DMRS strategy to contain COVID-19 which includes immediate government intervention, early recognition of the crisis, removal of cognitive and confirmation biases, political and religious biases, consensus development, establishment of a central command and control center, public engagement, integration of institutional functioning using ICT, maintaining the medical supply chain, limiting public mobility and mass gathering, practicing social distancing, quarantining and isolation, clear and effective communication for information dissemination, massive testing, and the use of ICT for information sharing, alerting, contact tracing and surveillance.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Sharafat Ali, Yasir Ahmed Solangi, Najid Ahmad, Abdul Saboor Gill, Bushra Faizi, Hamid Waqas
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