This week, the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which I co-chair with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, released its second progress report.

The report makes urgent calls for (1) all countries to adopt the basic public health measures which will reduce transmission of COVID-19, and (2) for an equitable approach to vaccine rollout.

Our main report is due in May; in this interim one, we note that the international alert and response system for diseases with pandemic potential is too slow, that there were a range of failings in the national and global responses, and that the World Health Organisation has been underpowered and underfunded for the work it needs to do. We say that the way the world deals with pandemic threats needs to be reset, and that we will make recommendations to that effect in the May report.

Here is the English language link to the report; it is also available in the other official UN languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish here.

Here is our press statement on the report.

There has been extensive news coverage and commentary; examples here:

My interview with Laura Tingle on ABC's 7.30.

The New York Times

Health Policy Watch

Forbes