The EU health authority ECDC draws a number of insights from the protracted corona pandemic. To enable countries to better prepare for future pandemics or other emergencies, the Stockholm-based authority identified four areas where lessons can be learned from the Corona period.

These include the benefits of investing in the health workforce, better preparedness for the next health crisis, risk communication and community engagement, and data collection and analysis, according to an ECDC report published on Tuesday.

All these areas are closely linked, stressed the ECDC. As the pandemic moves towards a phase of reduced intensity, the report aims to highlight follow-up actions that could contribute to improved pandemic preparedness in Europe.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us valuable lessons and it is important to review and evaluate our actions to see what has worked and what has not," said ECDC Germany Director Andrea Ammon. There is a need to be better prepared for future health crises, for example by strengthening the health workforce, better surveillance of infectious diseases and promoting cooperation between organizations, countries and regions.

The Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus reached Europe at the beginning of 2020 and then spread extremely quickly. Numerous countries initially reacted with significant restrictions on public life and the closure of their borders. Thanks to the record-breaking development of corona vaccines, it was ultimately possible to largely push back the virus in 2022.