At the end of January 2020, as the new Coronavirus began to spread throughout Europe, the Colombian authorities were aware that the disease would eventually arrive in the country and test its health system—a system already burdened by various historic, social and economic-related problems, likely to be exacerbated by the pandemic and to lead to tragedy.
The Colombian government, led by President Iván Duque and the governors and mayors of the main cities, swiftly designed a strategy to respond to COVID-19 with monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and instruments such as the Unified Command Post (PMU). Participants of this high-level forum, where decisions are made to provide a unified response that leaves no one behind in the fight against COVID-19, has membership from ministerial cabinet representatives, directors of national emergency entities, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), agencies of the United Nations system, and representatives of academia and the private sector. This case study highlights the actions taken by Colombia to prepare for and respond to the pandemic with the support of PAHO/WHO and its partners, and demonstrates how a coordinated, science-based response contributes to saving lives.