COVID-19 Testing and Tracking : Lessons Learned and a Look Ahead
The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the global economy, either reversing or slowing ongoing efforts to eliminate extreme poverty in many countries. Despite recent progress, including increased recoveries and lower death rates, India is ranked third g...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/988881615174727335/COVID-19-Testing-and-Tracking-Lessons-Learned-and-a-Look-Ahead http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35270 |
| Summary: | The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the
global economy, either reversing or slowing ongoing efforts
to eliminate extreme poverty in many countries. Despite
recent progress, including increased recoveries and lower
death rates, India is ranked third globally in absolute
numbers of COVID-19 reported cases. India’s chronic
underinvestment in health, coupled with a hard-hit economic
sector, has further entrenched segments of India’s
population in vulnerability and poverty. The exodus of
millions of migrants from the cities has contributed to the
spread of infection from urban to rural areas, where health
systems are weaker. As economic activities are revived
following a period of lockdowns, policy makers must make
smart choices that prevent and rein in the spread of
COVID-19. In the absence of effective treatment and a
vaccine, preventive measures combined with testing and
tracing, followed by quarantine and isolation and supportive
treatment, are critical to minimize the spread of COVID-19
and rejuvenate livelihoods to restore India’s economy. In
this paper, authors bring together promising testing and
tracing lessons and approaches from India and globally,
based on a desk review of various initiatives and analyses
of secondary data. Key lessons and findings are that: (i)
testing and tracing is central to an effective COVID-19
response; (ii) a robust response to an unprecedented
pandemic requires creative approaches, such as active case
finding, pooled testing, testing environmental samples,
triangulation of microdata, effective contact tracing, and
partnering with the private sector; (iii) optimizing
COVID-19 testing capacity should not negatively impact
ongoing disease control programs; (iv) containment of
COVID-19 should go hand-in-hand with preparation for future
pandemics. We also summarize innovations and bottlenecks to
rapidly scale up testing capacities at the state level,
including strategies for optimizing the role of the private
sector and introducing new technologies to enhance access to
testing in rural populations. This paper offers options
especially relevant to Indian policy makers, with a focus on
sustained health systems strengthening. |
|---|