Aims: The existing response management system for pandemic disease fell short of controlling COVID-19. This study evaluates the response management relative efficiency of 58 countries in two stages, using two models. Materials & methods: Data envelopment analysis was applied for efficiency analysis. Results: 89.6% of countries were inefficient in pandemic control and 79% were inefficient in treatment measures. Sensitivity analysis underlines resources as a critical factor. Further examination points to absence of a robust and uniform mitigation measure against the pandemic in most countries. Conclusions: Preventing spread is not only the first line of defense; it is the only line of defense. The lack of a global public health database support system and uniform response compounded inefficiency. A robust pandemic response management framework is developed based on practices of key performers. Action plans are proposed, with a recommendation for a global public health pandemic database monitoring and support system as the nucleus.