September 18, 2022 - The Lancet Commission

The Lancet Commission

September 18, 2022

The Covid-19 situation has continued to improve in Alabama this week. We averaged 1,180 new reported cases per day, a 13% decline from last week, which is the lowest daily average since early June. Covid-related hospitalizations also declined 27%, ending the week with 469 statewide hospitalizations, which is the lowest level since late June. The low for the year is 138 patients, reached on May 9.

Compared to the rest of the United States, Alabama’s rates of infection and hospitalization remain slightly higher than the national average. Alabama’s per capita rate of infection is 24 new cases per 100K population vs. the national average of 17 per 100K and its hospitalization rate is 10 per 100K vs the national average of 9 per 100K.

In July 2020, the prestigious British journal The Lancet convened 28 experts for a two-year examination of Covid-19 pandemic preparedness, response and recovery. The Commission specifically charged the Commission with delving into public health, virology, social policy, economics, finance and geopolitics. This week, the Commission issued its report and the verdict was harsh. As of May 31, 2022, according to the Commission, a staggering 17.2 million deaths worldwide had resulted from the pandemic, caused in large part by “a massive global failure at multiple levels”.

The identified failures include the following: (1) the lack of timely notification of the initial outbreak of COVID-19; (2) costly delays in acknowledging crucial airborne transmission of the virus and implementing appropriate measures at national and global levels to slow its spread; (3) the lack of coordination among countries regarding suppression strategies; (4) the failure of governments to adopt best practices for controlling the pandemic and managing economic and social spillovers from other countries; (5) the shortfall of global funding for low and middle income countries; (6) failure to ensure adequate global supplies and equitable distribution of protective gear, diagnostics, medicines, medical devices, and vaccines; (7) lack of timely and accurate data on infections, deaths, viral variants and health system responses; (8) poor enforcement of biosafety regulations, raising the possibility of a laboratory-related outbreak; (9) failure to combat systematic disinformation; and (10) lack of global and national safety nets to protect populations experiencing vulnerability.

The lessons learned and the recommendations stemming from the Lancet Commission’s report will likely be the focus of public health experts for generations to come. “Too many governments have failed to adhere to basic norms of institutional rationality and transparency; too many people - often influenced by misinformation - have disrespected and protested against basic public health precautions, and the world’s major powers have failed to collaborate to control the pandemic,” according to the report. Amen.

9/5 - 1,629

9/6 - 784

9/7 - 1,806

9/8 - 1,796

9/9 - 1,634

9/10 - not reporting

9/11 - not reporting

9/12 - 2,494

9/13 - 1,572

9/14 - 1,212

9/15 - 1,042

9/16 - 1,025

9/17 - 918