Prevention pays: COVID-19 tells us it's time for a Sovereign Health Fund for disease prevention

1 | PREVENTION WORKS
COVID-19 is providing numerous case study examples of the value of prevention and early intervention. Across Australia, we have had scores of weeks of lockdowns with more to come. The cost of lockdowns in our major cities has been estimated at $1 billion per week. This does not include the cost of human suffering, loss and distress. The last 12 months have shown us how the impact of COVID-19 can be mitigated by effective prevention and early intervention. Further investment in infection control processes and infrastructures, such as quarantine facilities, would have largely kept the island of Australia free of COVID-19 until sufficient vaccine doses became available for the entire population.While many of the lessons from COVID-19 will no doubt be applied to future pandemics and health crises, one thing is clear: prevention pays. However, there are some significant obstacles, which, if not overcome, will mean that we will not be fully prepared for the next crisis, and we will again pay dearly in dollars and human suffering for this lack of preparation.