Report: Not a single country in the world is prepared enough for a pandemic

The coronavirus outbreak, known as COVID-19, is officially a pandemic.

That essentially means the disease has achieved global reach. And how prepared is the world to deal with such a development? According to a report from October 2019 – before the COVID-19 outbreak – not a single country in the world is sufficiently prepared to combat a pandemic.

The 2019 Global Health Security Index scored 195 countries across six categories. The highest score, out of 100, is 83.5 (United States). After that, there are only four countries which score above 75. They are the U.K., the Netherlands, Australia, and Canada, respectively.

It’s no wonder World Health Organization chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said he was “deeply concerned” about the “alarming levels of inaction.”

In the last two weeks alone, the number of coronavirus cases outside of China have increased 13-fold. Canada currently has 103 cases. Italy had roughly the same number about three weeks ago. Currently, Italy faces more than 10,000 cases.

Earlier this week, Justin Trudeau, who is currently self-isolating, announced a $1 billion commitment to fighting the coronavirus outbreak in Canada. Despite the country’s preparedness, there is a concerning shortage of space for patients. Canada ranks quite terribly when it comes to hospital beds per 1,000 population.

For full information on Canada’s response to the ongoing health emergency, click here.