The World Health Organization has stated that the European nations are going to need to 'move beyond biomedical science' for overcoming the coronavirus or COVID-19 as 'pandemic fatigue' and new cases rapidly rise all over the continent. Hans Kluge, the director of Europe's WHO, mentioned that while fatigued from months of the uncertainty and disruption got measured differently in different nations, aggregated surveys from the region claimed that in some cases it reached levels of over 60 percent.
Medical science alone will not be enough for getting through the crisis, he gave a warning with authorities requiring the 'courage and empathy' for listening properly to the public and develop policies based on a better understanding of the needs of the people and behaviors.
"Covid-19 is urging us to move beyond biomedical science in our response. We have an opportunity to maximize our community insights into behavior, to integrate real community participation into public health policy," Kluge stated.
Medical Science Alone Cannot Help Fight COVID-19
As per the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the EU/EFA and the UK have confirmed 3.6 million cases after the start of the pandemic eight months ago. After successfully controlling the spread earlier in the year, many nations are struggling to control the resurgence of the virus.
Spain registered 314 new cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days while France confirmed 247, UK registered 163. Kluge mentioned that fatigue was natural. The citizens had to suffer a lot to control the spread of the virus.
Living with so much uncertainty for so long had left the people feeling demotivated. Authorities needed first to 'take the pulse of their communities' to make strategies depending on the behavior of people, he said. For the strategies to work, the public must own them. "Consultation, participation, and an acknowledgment of the hardships people are facing are key. The community should be considered a resource as well as a recipient or beneficiary," Kluge said as reported by The Guardian.
The deadly virus outbreak has created a major stir around the world in recent times and has infected more than 35.5 million people globally in more than 170 countries. An effective vaccine is expected by the first quarter of 2021.
