Learning from the pandemic, and getting ready for the next one

Abstract Covid-19 has shown us that most countries were not focusing their emergency preparedness plans in the correct direction. Covid-19 is a long-term health event, with serious impact on so many different sectors. Preparedness plans were conceived only for health events that are more explosive in initiation and resolution. Governments of a wide range of levels of competency, and covering much of the political spectrum, all failed to address the pandemic effectively, both from the health point of view and from the social point of view. So, what can we learn from our successes and from our failures? In a ‘learning from this pandemic’ round, we ask all panellists to reflect on the successes and failures (each 5 minutes). In a second round, we will be asking the panellists for their ideas on how to be better prepared for future pandemics. The final 5 minutes are for the next generation of public health professionals, summarizing the ‘take home’ messages. Speakers: Andrea Ammon European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Sandra Gallina Health and Food Safety, European Commission Michael Edelstein EUPHA-ICD Laura de la Torre Pérez Specialist in Preventive Medicine and Public Health