Despite Coronavirus having originated around December 2019, many remained unprepared for what was to come over the coming months and much of such destruction that remains today. This is especially true across Europe, where many were waiting for their government’s go-ahead to shut down their businesses and brace themselves for weeks and months of lockdown. We’re taking a closer look at Europe’s COVID-19 battle over the last few months, below.
The Impact of the Pandemic
Over the initial few months of the pandemic, many remained in the dark as to what was to come. Few people knew that the epidemic would soon become a pandemic, killing hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Many believed it would be over in a few short weeks. As a result, people headed out in their hundreds panic buying products that we would usually take for granted such as toilet roll and paracetamol in fear that they wouldn’t be able to access necessities as a result.
During this period, we saw a huge shift in the supply and demand of certain products including vital PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). This included the likes of disposable gloves, face masks and hand sanitiser which were all flying off the shelves faster than supermarkets could restock them. It wasn’t just PPE that was becoming more and more difficult to get hold of as the supply of specific medicines started to decline.
Immediate Medicinal Challenges
With ports having to close and warehouses restricting the number of staff that could be in the building at any one time, the medicinal industry was severely impacted, possibly putting a number of lives at risk. At the time, Dr Susanne Fiedler of EFPIA member pharmaceutical company MSD said, “We are facing an enormous increase in demand for some medicines, especially ICU medicines. All the evidence suggests that for now this is an allocation challenge, not a production problem.”
She continued: “Companies have increased production where they can, the real issue is about having a clear picture of what is likely to be needed, one, two and three months from now and getting the right drug to the right hospital in the right country at the right time.” With so many people at risk, it was concluded that they urgently needed access to ECDC modelling data regarding the expansion of the pandemic across each country. This would enable them to appropriately “plan, sequence and allocate medicines to the patients who need them.”
Recovery
Both Europe and Britain are still very much in the recovery stage of the pandemic, with many still unaware of the difficult situations being discussed between suppliers to ensure that everyone has access to the products and medicines they need. The pharmaceutical response is just one that needed to adapt quickly in order to provide care for those affected, working collaboratively alongside numerous research and healthcare bodies in order to tackle the outbreak as effectively as possible.
The European Commissioner, Thierry Breton, has also recently shed light on the economic impact across Europe following the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that such support can play a major part in the road to recovery as communities continue to learn to adapt to the new normal. This includes development affordable treatments at a suitable pace and scale in order to fight the current outbreak and prepare for those that may arise in the future.
For more information, get in touch with a member of our expert team on 0845 080 5190, today.