COVID-19 Modeling | One Year Later: Improving Health Outcomes

Published March 26, 2021

IHME Engagement Officer Maja Pasovic reflects on the impact that COVID-19 has had and will continue to have on public health as a whole.

Transcription: Seeing all the suffering the pandemic has caused has been really difficult. But it has been inspiring to see selfless acts of charity and community spirit. Travel restrictions are also difficult personally, since I and many of my colleagues have been unable to see their loved ones, especially if they’re located in other countries. Looking towards the future, I am optimistic and hopeful that countries and governments can work together to contain the epidemic.

One sad truth is painfully clear – COVID-19 has exposed vulnerabilities in many healthcare systems around the world, both in high income and low income places. We have the necessary tools, we have the commitment, but many places do not have adequate primary care systems that are well equipped with tackling health emergencies. Even though it took the global pandemic to catalyze action to fix broken and underfunded healthcare systems in many countries, I’m hopeful that many of the setbacks we’ve seen during this epidemic will serve as an incentive to improve health outcomes.

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Scientific Publication

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic