Future pandemics demand a response that’s better focused on inequities

Published in Policy Options: "Future pandemics demand a response that’s better focused on inequities"

"With COVID-19 no longer considered a public health emergency of international concern, the federal government is engaging in efforts to improve pandemic preparedness both domestically and globally, recognizing the need to learn from COVID-19 and prepare for the next potential infectious disease crisis.

Among the many lessons learned from the pandemic is the need to better mitigate the health and social inequities exacerbated by, and created within, COVID-19 responses.

One way to prevent such inequities is to incorporate intersectionality into pandemic preparedness. Intersectionality refers to how multiple social identities – such as race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and disability – intersect with structural conditions and can further disadvantage individuals in more than one of these categories."

Citation

Murage, A., Tiwana, MH., Smith, J. (2023). Future pandemics demand a response that’s better focused on inequities. Policy Options. 
https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/august-2023/intersectional-pandemic-response/