Improvements and Persisting Challenges in COVID-19 Response Compared with 1918–19 Influenza Pandemic Response, New Zealand (Aotearoa)

Summers, Jennifer; Kvalsvig, Amanda; Barnard, Lucy Telfar; Bennett, Julie; Harwood, Matire; Wilson, Nick; Baker, Michael G.

doi:10.3201/eid2909.221265

i

Improvements and Persisting Challenges in COVID-19 Response Compared with 1918–19 Influenza Pandemic Response, New Zealand (Aotearoa)

Supporting Files Public Domain

9 2023
By Summers, Jennifer ; Kvalsvig, Amanda ; Barnard, Lucy Telfar ; ...

File Language:

English

Details

Alternative Title:

Emerg Infect Dis
Personal Author:

Summers, Jennifer ; Kvalsvig, Amanda ; Barnard, Lucy Telfar ; Bennett, Julie ; Harwood, Matire ; Wilson, Nick ; Baker, Michael G.
Description:

Exploring the results of the COVID-19 response in New Zealand (Aotearoa) is warranted so that insights can inform future pandemic planning. We compared the COVID-19 response in New Zealand to that for the more severe 1918–19 influenza pandemic. Both pandemics were caused by respiratory viruses, but the 1918–19 pandemic was short, intense, and yielded a higher mortality rate. The government and societal responses to COVID-19 were vastly superior; responses had a clear strategic direction and included a highly effective elimination strategy, border restrictions, minimal community spread for 20 months, successful vaccination rollout, and strong central government support. Both pandemics involved a whole-of-government response, community mobilization, and use of public health and social measures. Nevertheless, lessons from 1918–19 on the necessity of action to prevent inequities among different social groups were not fully learned, as demonstrated by the COVID-19 response and its ongoing unequal health outcomes in New Zealand.
Subjects:

COVID-19 H1N1 SARS-CoV-2
Keywords:

Aotearoa Epidemiology Influenza New Zealand Pandemic Planning Pandemics Respiratory Infections Response Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Coronavirus 2 Viruses Zoonoses
Source:

Emerg Infect Dis. 2023; 29(9):1827-1836
Pubmed Central ID:

PMC10461674
Document Type:

Journal Article
Genre:

Historical Review
Place as Subject:

New Zealand
Volume:

29
Issue:

9
Collection(s):

Emerging Infectious Diseases
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:0228cf2ea55e99dd2afaf566efdc8f722200216d5a95de144b1834b49bc55318
Download URL:

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/133559/cdc_133559_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 1.71 MB ]

File Language:

English

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