Editorial
COVID-19: Lessons Learned and a Need for Data Driven Decision Making

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2022.05.004Get rights and content

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The Intersection of Non-Communicable and Communicable Diseases

Traditionally, we have compartmentalised knowledge and management of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). As a consequence, this has influenced the professional training of clinicians, as well as access to health care and health care utilisation. Moreover, the intersection of biomedical, social, and political factors that impact on COVID-19 infection has been observed. This has led to greater appreciation of “intersectionality” in efforts to promote equity in COVID-19 outcomes.

Fear and Scepticism of Vaccinations

Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine scepticism and uptake include falsehoods spread through conspiracy theories such as beliefs that COVID-19 vaccines and other pandemic measures are for economic benefits, the deliberate politicisation of the pandemic for political gain, a lack of trust in the government and stakeholders due to various ambiguities in public health messaging, and other unsubstantiated safety concerns [16]. In addition, mistrust of science due to examples of unethical research

Information and Disinformation

The World Health Organization dubbed the overwhelming volume of disinformation on COVID-19 an “infodemic,” describing it as “an overabundance of information and rapid spread of misleading and fabricated news, images, and videos, which, like the virus, is highly contagious, grows exponentially, and undermines public health measures and leads to unnecessary loss of life” [17,18]. The unprecedented high volume and rapid evolution of both genuine and fraudulent information contributed to widespread

Health Equity and Social Justice

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated long-standing and persistent global health disparities and inequities, and the cost of inaction or reluctance to address these inequities is high and harmful to all. COVID-19's impact in the rapid reversal of advances in closing wide health racial and ethnic gaps in health outcomes is still emerging [20]. Socio-economic disadvantages and injustices caused by class, gender, and racism, as well as global causes that promote impoverishment and instability in

A Way Forward and Lessons Learned

Many new and better ways of addressing disease outbreaks have come to light during this pandemic and previous disease outbreaks such as the 2014 Ebola epidemic that began in West Africa. Evidence based solutions exist that can greatly strengthen national and international capacities to prevent, detect and respond to future disease outbreaks. Such efforts must include preventing spillovers through stopping the destruction of intact ecosystems; closing risky, unregulated wet markets; and

Conflicts of Interest

None declared.

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    © 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ).