Direct and indirect effects of the covid-19 pandemic and response in South Asia

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Chapter 4

Implications and Way Forward for South Asia

Data systems and rapid information

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of national health data systems. Not only are these systems necessary for monitoring progress towards public health targets, such as Sustainable Development Goals, they are also critical in detecting infectious disease outbreaks, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, containing them and minimizing the economic fall-out (77). National health data systems are specially lacking

in LMICs, including those in South Asia. Even with support from UNICEF country offices, we had difficulty in obtaining data on COVID-19 cases and deaths, and had to obtain these data from University of Oxford’s Our World in Data (OWID) website (15), for our direct effects model.

Investing in health data systems that are updated in real time and publicly available for research collaborations, needs to be a priority at the regional and global level.