Furthermore, it showed Verwey-Jonker report the need for more capacity, clout, clarity and flexibility, as well as faster and better scaling options. Partly as a result of this report, the National Infectious Disease Control Functionality (LFI) established. It must provide central direction and operational control. One of the LFI’s responsibilities is to improve the data and information provision in the event of a subsequent pandemic.
Trusted third party
A solution for effectively and efficiently exchanging the desired data in a pandemic can lie in using a trusted third party (Trusted Third Party; TTP). This offers legal and technical opportunities to realize the necessary data exchange.
To understand how a trusted third party can help during a pandemic, we provide below an example of steering information that proved relevant to policymakers at RIVM, OMT and/or the GGDs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but was not or insufficiently available. .
RIVM periodically calculates how effective vaccines protect against illness, hospital admissions, ICU admission and/or death. This requires the complete vaccination history, linked to a test result, hospitalization, ICU admission or death notice. This determines how effective measures are and where additional measures may be required.
At the moment, such data cannot be linked, because parties are not allowed or unable to exchange it with RIVM. As a result, we do not know exactly how effective vaccines protect against illness, (IC) admission or death. In addition, the lack of clarity offers room for conspiracy theorists.
Next pandemic
It is impossible to say what the next pandemic will look like. What we do know is that these aspects are relevant: there will most likely be an intervention to treat citizens preventively or curatively (e.g. via vaccines or medicines). There will be a tool to make diagnoses (such as PCR tests or an X-ray). And relevant authorities carry out source and contact investigations.
Furthermore, in the event of a new pandemic, this information is required:
- What is the spread of the pandemic across the country and across population groups?
- What is the effect of the pandemic on healthcare, absenteeism and deaths? For example, how many healthcare workers have been vaccinated?
- How effective is the intervention (with specific target groups)? This insight can help policymakers in the next pandemic.
- How effective is this intervention used? Insight into this can convince citizens of the usefulness and necessity of measures, which will increase support.
Read the full article about lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in ICT&health 1, which will be published on February 17.
