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Four Questions About the Covid-19 Pandemic

Emergency Planning

What are, and have been, the key challenges in coping with the Covid-19 pandemic? Viral pandemics can have impacts that are as significant in the socio-economic field as they are in epidemiology and viral medicine. Hospitals need to develop very substantial surge capacity and greatly increase their infection control measures.

Pandemic 176
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Towards a Taxonomy of Disasters

Emergency Planning

The next question is where to draw the boundaries in the study of disasters and practice of disaster risk reduction. Pandemics are included because many of the effects of a pandemic are likely to be socio-economic in nature. Disaster risk reduction policy is heavily influenced by the class of disaster involved.

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Common Misconceptions about Disaster

Emergency Planning

Myth 20: Field hospitals are particularly useful for treating people injured by sudden impact disasters. Reality: Field hospitals are usually set up too late to treat the injured and end up providing general medicine and continuity of care. Myth 35: We are well organised to face a pandemic or CBRN attack.