Governing in a pandemic

Question 1

good governance during a pandemic

Answer 1

to respond to Covid, the rules of good governance apply more than ever

Question 2

how does good governance shape the control of epidemics

Answer 2

• gaining control over future pandemics would depend on resource availability and deployment, and the government’s response to the public health crisis
• more than on increased medical knowledge about treatment and prevention
  – building rational trust is fundamental to health promotion

Question 3

why is good governance more important than medical knowledge

Answer 3

• people tend to trust the government
• people feel like complying in their governance if it is in their own self interest
• necessary for rational trust

Question 4

flattening the Epidemic curve

Answer 4

flattening the Epidemic curve with protective measures
* travel restrictions
* isolation
* social distancing

government has to ensure they flatten the curve when it comes to pandemics

Question 5

basic reproduction rate (RO) of an infectious disease

Answer 5

• RO is used to measure the transmission potential of a disease
• the number of secondary infections produced by a typical case of an infection in a population that is totally susceptible
• it depends on the duration of the infectious period

*an estimate of the speed at which a particular infectious disease can currently spread through a given population. Specifically, it refers to the number of people that one person can transmit on average

Question 6

RO

Answer 6

the probability of infecting a susceptible individual during one contact

the number of new susceptible people contacted per unit of time

RO can vary for different infectious diseases but also for the same disease in different populations

Question 7

what are the attributes of good governance

Answer 7

human rights council has identified key attributes of good governance

• transparency
• responsibility
• accountability
• participation
• responsiveness

Question 8

ladder of intervention

Answer 8

health policies are political in nature and not without contestation (not entirely uncontroversial)

ladder of intervention shows varying degree of government action and curtailment of individual freedoms

Question 9

top vs bottom latter of intervention

Answer 9

bottom: doing nothing or just monitoring the situation

top: eliminate choice (greatest level of intervention)

example:
Governments eliminate choice by requiring vaccines and masks in public

can also provide people with info about covid and trust them to make choices for them and their families

Governments may do nothing in response to covid

Question 10

policy dilemmas

Answer 10

policies most likely to promote health are those that eliminate choice entirely, but they may be politically unpopular

doing nothing or monitoring the situation is least likely to promote health, but is often easier politically

Question 11

Initial government responses compared with the spread of COVID

Answer 11

middle east and Africa had their responses in place

south and east Asia and the pacific did not have responses in place

Question 12

sequencing of initial policy adoption

Answer 12

ramping up of restrictions affects global response and cooperation

Question 13

public health measures and unintended consequences

Answer 13

staying home – loss of income

homeless population – fined for being in groups and couldn’t access foodbanks and shelters

older adults – isolation

Question 14

public health and civil liberties

Answer 14

people were advocating for their own civil liberties

public health trying to maintain health of public while considering civil liberties especially travel restrictions

Question 15

public health vs civil liberties

Answer 15

public health: measures taken to protect against risk

civil liberties: commitment to secure protected rights and freedoms of individuals against incursions by the state
* freedom of expression
* freedom of assembly
* mobility rights

Question 16

infodemic

Answer 16

misinformation
* overabundance of information or unanswered questions/concerns

can lead to unintended consequences

Question 17

infodemic – measures of mitigation

Answer 17

• health education and early education of infodemics
• build public understanding about evolving nature of science and the scienfitic process

Question 18

digital surveillance: Privacy rights

Answer 18

south korea tracks citizens with mobile phones, car GPS, credit cards, etc

China installed cameras to point at infected people doorway to monitor movements

rights and data surrendered temporarily during an emergency can become very difficult to get back

• Freedom of expression

Question 19

Precautionary Principles

Answer 19

action should be taken to mitigate catastrophic risk, even in the absence of complete evidence of the benefits of the intervention or nature of the risk

application of the precautionary principle should be:
* proportional to the chosen level of protection
* non-discriminatory
* consistent with similar measures already taken
* based on examination of the potential benefits and costs
* subject to review

Question 20

the stringency index

Answer 20

composite measure based on nine response indicators to a value from 0 to 100 (100=strictest)

measure that assesses policies that governments have taken to tackle COVID-19.

Question 21

containment and health index

Answer 21

measures the number and intensity of closure and containment policies and policies towards disease surveillance
* schools closing
* stay at home measures

Question 22

public procurement

Answer 22

different states fighting each other

• Procurement refers to the process where the government buys goods and services using public money
• Public money is money the government raises from the general public through taxes
• For example, when the government buys textbooks, or pays for the building of a new school, a procurement process must be followed

Question 23

global health

Answer 23

global health is an area of study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide

Question 24

tropical medicine

Answer 24

instrument of power (tied to colonization) aimed at keeping colonizers and subsequently the labour force alive in the colonial tropics

colonial/military medicine

medicine used as a weapon with which to secure imperial rule

Question 25

international health

Answer 25

focuses more on health issues of countries other than one’s own – especially low-income and middle-income