As the world marks five years since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the South African Department of Health says the country is now significantly better prepared to respond to future health crises.
Speaking on VOC Breakfast, National Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale reflected on the challenges of the global outbreak, as well as the progress made in strengthening health preparedness.
“Covid-19 caught the world off guard. We found ourselves in uncharted waters, as the world had not experienced a pandemic of that scale in decades,” said Mohale.
He explained that the pandemic served as a wake-up call, prompting the government to enhance early warning systems and refine its overall response strategy to detect and contain future outbreaks more effectively.
“As a government and as a country, we’ve learned valuable lessons about preparing for future pandemic threats—how to respond, how to provide health assistance, and how to build resilience,” he said.
“We can assure the country that we now have a Pandemic Preparedness, Prevention and Control Plan in place, detailing how to respond to future pandemics.”
Listen to the full interview here:
VOC News
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