About this article
Pandemic updates are based on data collected by World Health Organization member states and routinely updated during the respiratory reporting season (July to June). Data is collected from a range of sources including health facilities, community pharmacies, and patient self-report. This information is used to identify cases of COVID-19 and track the overall progress of the pandemic.
In general, pandemics increase morbidity and mortality across a large geographic area and can cause substantial economic and social disruption. This trend has intensified in recent decades due to increased global travel and integration, urbanization, and changes in land use and exploitation of the natural environment (Jones and others 2003).
While the impact of an outbreak can differ widely depending on the pathogen, the risk of a global pandemic remains significant and requires careful planning and preparedness. The 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic, along with heightened concerns over the threat of avian influenza, led to the development of the International Health Regulations to compel countries to meet strict standards for responding to and tracking infectious disease outbreaks.
Good population health, distributed equitably across society, is a buffer against the impact of health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. UK governments must address the gaps in health and wellbeing that contributed to the pandemic’s damaging impact, by ensuring that public health services are adequately funded, reversing cuts to social care, investing in high-quality linked data, building trust across society, and improving systems for inclusive and accessible up-to-date public health communication.