WHO: Takeaways on how 19 countries maintained health services during COVID-19

Editor's Note

A December 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) report examines how 19 countries mitigated COVID-19’s effects on providing maternal; newborn; child and adolescent; and aging health services, JAMA Network March 15 reports. The WHO data comes from an initiative lasting from May 2020 to February 2021, during which groups in the countries in question “collected, synthesized, and analyzed information” on mitigation and decision-making strategies.

Here are some takeaways:

• Countries varied widely in their specific service use from 2019 to 2020.
• Number of births in health facilities remained stable or increased in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Uganda.
• Number of births in health facilities initially declined in Pakistan and Yemen but recovered by the end of 2020; the number declined without recovering in Nigeria and Sudan.
• More interventions were aimed at maintaining maternal and child health services than aging services.
• Mobile service delivery, telehealth, enhanced infection control, and personal protective equipment use were common mitigation measures.