Among the critical tools that decision makers have used to craft their response to COVID-19 has been epidemiological data analysis.
WHO helps train the epidemiologists in many countries that are driving this data collection and helping the world’s leaders to fight the pandemic.
Such training, and support by WHO of existing field epidemiology training programmes, has strengthened the Republic of Moldova’s capacity to respond more effectively to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, WHO and its partners have conducted 132 training sessions on infection prevention and control as well as public health emergency management for health professionals from Moldova.
Moldova’s network of epidemiologists, working with other public health professionals, have also boosted the fight against COVID-19 Europe-wide by providing insights from its to WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of investing in human resource development, especially in the domains of epidemiology and public health. Doctors and nurses take care of patients in hospitals, while epidemiologists make sure that public health measures are based on available evidence, helping to prevent disease outbreaks by improving health system resource planning and public health emergency management.