To provide continuous tailored support to countries to strengthen the COVID 19 response at national, subnational, and community levels, the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region ( organized technical missions to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tunisia, and Lebanon since September 2020 These modified and enriched Intra Action Review ( Missions included field visits and supported Ministries of Health in reviewing the COVID 19 response, documenting strengths, identifying areas of improvement, and providing recommendations to address gaps.
Key strengths identified from national
responses to the COVID 19 pandemic include preparedness
initiatives (e g COVID 19 National Taskforce in Lebanon) and utilizing
existing systems such as for surveillance (e g polio systems in
Afghanistan and Pakistan).
A whole of government approach and strong multisectoral coordination was also a main strength (e g Ministry of Health leadership, engagement of public and private sectors and UN agencies in Lebanon and Tunisia) Public health and social measures contributed to decreasing transmission rates in the early phase of the pandemic (e g flights suspension and school closure in Lebanon control measures after detecting the first cases in Tunisia) and diagnostic capacities were expanded in all four countries.
Health systems in many EMR countries were already fragile due to complex emergencies, causing challenges in maintaining essential health services Consequently, countries visited had included this in their response, such as by developing a guide, facilitated by WHO, for service continuity in Pakistan Another challenge identified was the implementation of control measures at points of entry, particularly during border reopening after the lifting of restrictive measures.
After each mission, key recommendations and findings were shared with the Region’s Incident Management Support Team and WHO Representatives during mission briefings Mission reports laid out recommendations which will be integrated into the EMR’s 2021 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan ( to ensure all EMR countries benefit from the lessons learned Several missions are planned for 2021 with objectives adapted to the evolving COVID 19 situation and vaccine rollout, to continue strengthening the COVID 19 response across the Region.