From Covid-19- to COVID-20 – the evolution of COVID-19 in terms of its overall medical and socio-economic impacts is examine through a comparison of cases and deaths in the two successive waves we have experienced. Peak comparisons show that although the number of cases has doubled the number of deaths has decreased by 50 percent with case mortality decreasing by a factor of four. In addition, where at the beginning of the pandemic interventions were aimed at containment and mitigation of a single disease entity, today we are addressing concurrent co-morbidities which are largely attributable to social determinants of health and the collateral morbidities resulting from our interventions. Overall, we are currently dealing more with a “syndemic” and a name change should be considered for many reasons.
A brief commentary on how the above needs to be considered as we draw closer to having a vaccine for which an equitable allocation plan must be developed. This is a pressing need as projections indicate that initially only a limited supply will be available.
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About the Journal
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness is the first comprehensive and authoritative journal emphasizing public health preparedness and disaster response for all health care and public health professionals globally. The journal seeks to translate science into practice and integrate medical and public health perspectives. DMPHP is the official journal of the Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health.
About the Society
The Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health aims to evolve a discipline around disaster medicine and public health. The society’s goal is to improve global health security, with the involvement and development of global health professionals and others who are involved in responding to and or managing significant events. The mission of the SDMPH is to advance and promote excellence in education, training and research in disaster medicine and public health for all potential health system responders based on sound educational principles, scientific evidence and best clinical and public health practices.
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