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Lessons learned from the Baltic countries' response to the first wave of COVID-19.
| Content Provider | Europe PMC |
|---|---|
| Author | Webb, Erin Winkelmann, Juliane Scarpetti, Giada Behmane, Daiga Habicht, Triin Kahur, Kristiina Kasekamp, Kaija Köhler, Kristina Miščikienė, Laura Misins, Janis Reinap, Marge Slapšinskaitė-Dackevičienė, Agnė Võrk, Andres Karanikolos, Marina |
| Copyright Year | 2021 |
| Abstract | The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania shared a similar response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the information available on the COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor platform, this article analyzed measures taken to prevent transmission, ensure capacity, provide essential services, finance the health system, and coordinate their governance approaches. All three countries used a highly centralized approach and implemented restrictive measures relatively early, with a state of emergency declared with fewer than 30 reported cases in each country. Due to initially low COVID-19 incidence, the countries built up their capacities for testing, contact tracing, and infrastructure, without a major stress test to the health system throughout the spring and summer of 2020, yet issues with accessing routine health care services had already started manifesting themselves. The countries in the Baltic region entered the pandemic with a precarious starting point, particularly due to smaller operational budgets and health workforce shortages, which may have contributed to their escalated response aiming to prevent transmission during the first wave. Subsequent waves, however, were much more damaging. This article focuses on early responses to the pandemic in the Baltic states highlighting measures taken to prevent virus transmission in the face of major uncertainties. |
| Related Links | https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC8667424&blobtype=pdf |
| ISSN | 01688510 |
| Journal | Health Policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands) [Health Policy] |
| Volume Number | 126 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.12.003 |
| PubMed Central reference number | PMC8667424 |
| Issue Number | 5 |
| PubMed reference number | 35101287 |
| e-ISSN | 18726054 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Published by Elsevier B.V. |
| Publisher Date | 2021-12-13 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Rights License | Since January 2020 Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website. Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre - including this research content - immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active. © 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. |
| Subject Keyword | COVID-19 Baltic countries Estonia Latvia Lithuania Health system |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
| Subject | Health Policy |
