Overarching, every day theme of the week

COVID-19 Collaboration, Coordination, Communication 

Our understanding of the COVID-19 virus and its spread is changing every day, and critical information that impacts on how the outbreak can be managed is emerging every day. It is essential that public health professionals and others involved in the management of the outbreak keep themselves up to date with the latest evidence to ensure evidence-based actions. Collaboration, coordination and communication in public health are now more important than ever: we must join forces for healthier populations. How is your team, institution, country or region dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic?

Check the full list of events here.

KEY MESSAGES

1. “The lives of millions of people in the WHO European Region are undergoing radical change. This is, quite simply, a new reality. The role of public health services is understood. The value of health workers is appreciated like never before.” – Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe http://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/regional-director/statements/statement-every-country-needs-to-take-boldest-actions-to-stop-covid-19  
2. Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health and well-being through the organised efforts and informed choices of society, organisations, public and private, communities and individuals, and includes the broader area of public health, health services research, health service delivery and health systems design. https://eupha.org/who-we-are 
3. “Thinking that ‘this does not concern me’ is not an option.” – Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe http://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/regional-director/statements/statement-every-country-needs-to-take-boldest-actions-to-stop-covid-19  
4. “These are unprecedented times. It is important that countries work together, learn from each other and harmonize efforts. The virus can be beaten back by solidarity within communities, within nations and within our Region, together with individual psychological resilience.” – Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe http://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/regional-director/statements/statement-every-country-needs-to-take-boldest-actions-to-stop-covid-19 
5. As the umbrella organisation for public health associations in the European region, the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) stands with its members and colleagues in each country who are working tirelessly to detect and manage cases, identify contacts and prepare health services for worst-case scenarios in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. https://eupha.org/repository/advocacy/EUPHA_statement_on_COVID-19.pdf 
6. It remains essential that public health professionals and others involved in the management of the COVID-19 outbreak keep themselves up to date with the latest evidence to ensure evidence-based actions of maximum effectiveness. It is important to obtain information from trustworthy sources. https://eupha.org/repository/advocacy/EUPHA_statement_on_COVID-19.pdf 
7. “All countries should work to prepare and be ready; detect, protect and treat; reduce transmission; and innovate and learn, while protecting vulnerable people.” – Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe http://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/regional-director/statements/statement-every-country-needs-to-take-boldest-actions-to-stop-covid-19 
8. The use of digital health improves the timeliness and accuracy of public health data collection and reporting and facilitates disease monitoring and surveillance. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/primary-health-care-conference/digital-technologies.pdf?sfvrsn=3efc47e0_2(accessed 
9. The current situation shows how much this major health problem concerns all of us independently of nationality, ethnicity, confession, culture and social status and makes obvious that only coordinated, common efforts can provide adequate solutions. https://www.eugms.org/news/read/article/489.html 

Resources

Resources from the World Health Organization:

• COVID-19 outbreak website (WHO Headquarters)
• Country and technical guidance on COVID-19 (WHO headquarters)
• European-specific information for COVID-19 (WHO Regional Office for Europe)
• Latest updates on European-specific COVID-19 information (WHO Regional Office for Europe)
• Statement by Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe with key messages on how European countries should address COVID-19
• Translated videos, animations, infographics by WHO
• Mask use graphics
• Myth Buster graphics by WHO
• Questions & Answers by WHO: package 1 and package 2
• Travel and preventive graphics by WHO
• Workplace guidance by WHO
• Videos by WHO
• Files above available in French, German, Russian and 32 other languages by WHO

Other resources:

• EUPHA statement on COVID-19
• COVID-19 information (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control – ECDC)
• EU specific guidance, surveillance updates and risk assessments (ECDC) 
• Coronavirus response (European Commission)
• Scientific publishers expediting the publication of COVID-19 related evidence and making it available free of charge:
  • The New England Journal of Medicine
  • The Lancet
  • Eurosurveillance
  • Cambridge University Press
  • Elsevier
  • Springer 
• EUPHA Infectious Diseases Control section Twitter account: @euphaidc
• Beyond Containment: Health systems responses to COVID-19 in the OECD
• Supporting people and companies to deal with the COVID-19 virus: Options for an immediate employment and social-policy response
• COVID-19 resources by EUPHA members in multiple countries/languages: France, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Spain, UK
• EUPHA page on COVID-19 updates

Partners of this day:

WHO Regional Office for Europe