Just over a year has passed since Singapore reported its first COVID-19 case and the first wave of vaccines have been rolled out across the world. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over.
Even as we continue to contain and eradicate the virus, scientists and experts have warned that the interface between humans and animals remains a hotspot for zoonotic diseases. That it’s only a matter of time before the next global pandemic, or Disease X, strikes.
“COVID-19 has given us a massive dress rehearsal for the future,” warned YBhg Tan Sri Dr Jemilah binti Mahmood, speaking at the inaugural Temasek Shophouse Conversations, a hybrid event that brings leaders from the public, private and community sectors together to forge multi-sector collaboration to achieve common good.
What, then, can we do to better prepare for the main event? At the event’s first session, four experts examine what the past year has taught us and propose ways to build multiple layers of defence against Disease X – globally, as a region and as individuals.
In January 2020, the first whole-genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 were made available on GISAID, allowing scientists from all over the world with internet access to get involved in creating solutions. This played a key role in enabling global responses to the pandemic – from designing the first diagnostic kits to contact tracing and developing vaccines, including the one from Pfizer that’s now being distributed across the world.
To date, scientists from 145 countries have shared genome sequences. As international scientific collaborations continue, it is especially important that information such as genome sequences continue to be shared not just by one or a few countries, but globally. This, in turns, allows scientists to understand the virus as it mutates so that solutions such as detection kits and therapeutics can be adapted to better prepare us against new variants of the virus.
While the pandemic accelerated international cooperation within the scientific community, some governments took the opposite stance, choosing to defend nationalistic agendas instead. As a result, the “general failure” for global cooperation led to escalation of transmission of the disease across borders and a globally desynchronised outbreak. This, in turn, continues to hamper harmonised recovery efforts to date.
As we gear up in the fight against Disease X, it’s clear that early intervention could have curbed, or at least slowed, the virus’ exponential growth. If the World Health Organisation (WHO) is to continue being the main champion for multilateral cooperation, their current structure needs to be reviewed and revamped so that they’re better positioned to guide a global response. To empower member states to see that no one is safe, until everyone is and fuel much needed global cooperation to curb the spread of Disease X as early as possible.
As a region, ASEAN has been affected by epidemics since the early 2000s – from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, to the Zika Virus Disease in 2015 and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, to better coordinate responses to infectious diseases in the future, cooperation across the region is essential. To this end, the intergovernmental body aims to establish a regional Regional Center On Public Health Emergencies And Emerging Diseases.
In addition, we can also benefit from more regional collaboration in the important area of clinical trials for therapeutic agents. “We have one country like Singapore that has a low number of cases but there are many cases in another country in ASEAN. By doing even more work together, we can actually advance trials much faster. And then all of us can benefit from the fruits of discoveries.” said Prof Tan Chor Chuan.
Other areas include research on environmental transmissions. ASEAN members could pool data to develop evidence-based judgments on the spread of the disease so as to better create more consistent and effective safety protocols for COVID-19 as it mutates and future epidemics.
Lastly, we can also work together as a region to develop more sustainable recovery measures. For instance, the masks and PPE suits that we stockpile for future crises could be made of more environmentally-friendly material. Dr Jemilah said, “This isn’t solely a health crisis. The rise of zoonotic diseases isn’t something that emerged on its own – it’s a symptom of the planet’s ailing health. We need to have a holistic approach on how we prevent and anticipate these issues so that we’re more resilient and adaptable in combating future crises.”
The responsibility of curbing the transmission of the virus isn’t just in the hands of global, regional and local organisations and governing bodies. “From my involvement in managing the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, I’ve learned that behavioral change from communities is the key to ending pandemics,” shared Dr. Jemilah. “And the reality is: COVID-19 is very, very much a community-based virus. So, the solutions must also be connected to communities.”
To start, individuals can, and should, minimise their public exposure to limit the spread of the virus. This could require individuals to adhere to lockdown measures or keep in line with safety protocols, even if this means putting traditions and celebrations on pause.
Individuals can also do more to curb the spread of misinformation which hinders efforts to contain the virus. In a digital age, most get their news online and via social media platforms – specifically Facebook and WhatsApp in Singapore1. Despite offering a means to educate the public with fast and timely updates, these platforms also gave rise to rumours, scams and fake news, especially as the pandemic evolved in the early months of 2020.
While the law can hold these sources accountable for their actions, we can also do more and not give these falsehoods traction. To borrow a reminder from Gov.sg2 : not sure, don’t share. Instead, we can first verify claims before sharing them by checking to see if they were from reliable sources or seeking clarifications on various Government websites in Singapore.
With everyone’s participation, no matter how seemingly small each behavioural change may seem, we can then put a stop to the spread of diseases.
As a nation, we’ve drawn on lessons learned from earlier outbreaks of SARS and H1N1 to build more resilient emergency health systems. We can do more to grow, as individuals as well as regional and global bodies, from lessons learned in the year that’s passed to be better prepared in facing forthcoming crises together.