Session 13

Unlocking the potential of data in light of early lessons from COVID-19

Innovative digital solutions for comparable data, strong health systems and good decision-making

Organised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

Reliable, complete and timely data are essential for evidence-based decision-making – in particular during a rapidly evolving health crisis. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, ECDC has provided standard protocols for surveillance and testing approaches to the Member States. Through its Epidemic Intelligence, the Centre has been collecting the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths on a daily basis, based on reports from health authorities worldwide, in a comprehensive and systematic manner.

To build capacity and resilience in public health systems throughout Europe against future infectious disease threats, no country can stand alone. Establishing robust, population-based surveillance systems is a sizable challenge, and failing to do so can hamper meaningful comparisons and learnings between countries. To address this challenge, fostering data harmonisation and integration of epidemiological standards in health systems will be crucial, as it would strengthen our defences against epidemics while facilitating effective cross-country cooperation.

In this session, experts and policymakers from national and international organisations will discuss how early lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic can be translated into a roadmap for strengthening health systems and overall research and public health endeavours in the EU. The session will identify critical information needs during a crisis and discuss how organisations and agencies such as WHO and ECDC can best support Member States in generating such information.

Join us to explore how we can leverage shared knowledge for a more resilient future!

Organisers