A new report has recommended improving knowledge of the virus, diversifying vaccine manufacturing and developing national data standards as some of the ways to better prepare for the next pandemic.
Key points:
- The CSIRO report made 20 recommendations on how to better prepare for the next pandemic
- The report makes recommendations in six different areas
- The quarantine and travel restrictions were credited with keeping Australia’s COVID-19 numbers low to begin with
CSIRO’s new report, Strengthening Australia’s Pandemic Preparedness, assessed a range of science and technology areas and was developed through deep system-wide engagement, including contributions from more than 140 experts from industry, research and the government.
The COVID pandemic has knocked $144 billion off Australia’s projected bottom line and has already claimed the lives of more than 13,000 Australians.
The report credits Australia’s travel restrictions and quarantine for keeping COVID-19 infections lower than in other countries, but says improved and nationally coordinated investments in science and technology can help the nation prepare -be better for the next pandemic.
The report made 20 recommendations in the following areas:
- Preclinical capabilities for medical countermeasures
- Manufacture of vaccines
- Therapeutic reuse and new antivirals
- Point of care diagnosis for case identification
- Genomic analysis of pathogens and their variants
- Data sharing to inform response strategies
The report said there was limited global understanding of most viruses with pandemic potential, which meant it was difficult to respond with medical countermeasures in a short period of time.
“With limited resources, Australia could benefit from focusing preclinical efforts on viral families that pose a high pandemic risk to humans,” he says.
It also recommends engaging with global networks during preclinical studies, expanding research capabilities in animal and alternative models, and bridging the gaps between research, industry, and the healthcare system.
“The consultations suggested that there is political hesitation in expanding the capability of non-human primates, as other countries limit their use to only specific applications due to ethical concerns and public pressure,” says the report
More than 140 experts from industry, research and government contributed to the report. (ABC News: Lucy Barbour)
Regarding vaccination as a defense against pandemics, the report recommends diversifying land-based manufacturing of different types of vaccines and expanding development and contract manufacturing facilities to support vaccine trials.
“As vaccine candidates progress to phase II and III clinical trials, fewer are made in Australia and the value of intellectual property (IP) is lost overseas due to high costs of entry and of a relatively small population to support enrollment of trial patients,” the report says. .
“Australia also faces barriers to population-scale land-based manufacturing due to high input costs and limited export opportunities, as the surrounding region is well served by existing manufacturers.”
Among the recommendations were conducting early development studies on antivirals and expanding research on therapeutic repurposing.
The report also recommends establishing a national genomic analysis authority, a national genomic analysis platform, and strengthening the workforce in genomic epidemiology and related fields.
“Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia’s genomic response was one of the best in the world, largely enabled by the low initial number of cases in Australia,” the report says.
“As the number of cases increased, Australia was unable to maintain this volume of testing as the genomic systems were unable to keep up with the increase in cases.”
The National Health Data Standards was one of CSIRO’s 20 recommendations. (Flickr: Jernej Furman)
Final recommendations are to develop national pandemic data standards, improve capabilities to link health data with non-health data, and design analytics that can share and analyze data at the national level.
“The occurrence of large-scale viral outbreaks is inevitable and future pandemics will continue to have significant direct and indirect impacts for Australia,” the report says.
“The current global focus and investments in pandemic preparedness are an opportunity to strengthen Australia’s capabilities to minimize the impacts of future pandemics.”
The full report is available on the CSIRO website.