COVINFORM - Synthesis and lessons learnt on public health responses and impacts

The empirical research conducted in the COVINFORM project is centred around assessing COVID-19 impacts, responses, and lessons learned across diverse local contexts. This includes an exploration of how national and local COVID-19 responses have impacted human behaviour, social dynamics, economic well-being, and physical and mental health outcomes; how local responses to COVID-19 were adapted to and shaped by the local health, socioeconomic, political and community contexts; and which policy failures, unintended consequences, trade-offs and promising practices can be identified in COVID-19 responses. Within this broad scope, part of the empirical research is focused specifically on exploring COVID-19 impact, response and lessons learned from a public health perspective.

This deliverable outlines the findings of the expert interviews conducted with health care workers and public health policy- and decision makers, organised into three thematic chapters. The first topic tackled is the conceptualisation of vulnerability in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviewees reflected upon the intersectional nature of vulnerability and resilience, noting that it is important to consider not just pre-existing health status, but also the social determinants of health and the unequal impacts of the COVID-19 containment measures. The second theme discussed is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers. This chapter highlights how due to their positions at the frontline of the pandemic, healthcare workers have experienced high levels of uncertainty and stress, and how the crisis exposed pre-existing flaws and bottlenecks in health systems. Finally, the last chapter offers a bird’s-eye view of key challenges and lessons learned in public health responses. These include the coordination of public health responses at different geographical levels; dilemmas in decision making; the challenges associated with evidence-based action; COVID-19 public health communication; and lessons for the future.