Are We Prepared for The Next Pandemic?

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world faced an unprecedented level of challenge in attempting to stop the spread of the disease. Now, as progress is continuously made, this current time offers an opportunity to reflect on our management of this pandemic and consider lessons learned for future implications. To investigate which measures were the most effective, I reviewed public health policies, guidance, and their effect on reducing the spread and severity of COVID-19. From this research, I found that the most effective public health measures in curbing widespread transmissions include masking, social distancing, testing, contact tracing, and vaccination. My work proposed specific ways of implementing these existing strategies to improve the management of future pandemic-level disease outbreaks.