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Preparing the EU for future COVID-19 outbreaks

The EU must ensure it is ready for possible resurgences of COVID-19 cases. Tackling new outbreaks efficiently will require closely coordinated, short and long-term actions to strengthen preparedness and response across all Member States.

Testing

testing lab image

  • EU level agreement for aligned testing strategies and methodologies

  • Run national stress tests for testing capacities and testing deployment

  • Extend testing to mildly symptomatic cases and contacts of positive cases 

Contact tracing

contact tracing COVID-19

  • Interoperability of all national apps

  • Contact-tracing capacities, including at local level and through mobile applications, to stop new chains of transmission 

Public health surveillance

public health surveillance

  • Share COVID-19 data via specific platforms for exchange

  • Early identification of hotspots 

Personal protective equipment, medicines and medical devices

PPE, medicines, and medical devices

  • Ensure free movement of essential medical supplies in the EU

  • Monitor risks of shortages

  • Ensure access to COVID-19 therapeutics currently in clinical trials

  • Conclude agreements with vaccine producers

  • Facilitate large-scale COVID-19 clinical trials

  • Facilitate coordinated national stockpiling initiatives

Healthcare surge capacity

healthcare
  • Finance and facilitate transport of medical teams into the EU and between Member States and the transfer of patients between Member States
  • Online European network of clinicians
  • EU-wide training for health professionals

Non-pharmaceutical countermeasures

delivery of medical supplies
  • Any unavoidable restriction of movement should be coordinated, proportionate and non-discriminatory
  • Avoid large-scale lockdown measures
  • Free movement of goods, critical workers and essential transport workers

Support to minorities and vulnerable groups

vulnerable groups
  • Implement high density, low threshold testing strategies
  • Tailored measures for each specificity of groups
  • Monitoring of super spreader events

Reducing the burden of seasonal influenza

vaccine

  • Increase seasonal flu vaccination coverage

  • Additional national purchasing of flu vaccines

  • Differential diagnosis and management of influenza and COVID-19

Documents

15 JULY 2020
Communication on short-term EU health preparedness for future COVID-19 outbreaks
English
(234.32 KB - HTML)
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15 JULY 2020
ANNEX to the COMMUNICATION - Short-term EU health preparedness for COVID-19 outbreaks
English
(93.64 KB - PDF)
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