Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PANDEM-2 (Pandemic Preparedness and Response)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-02-01 al 2022-01-31
Pandemics pose a greater threat to the health and security of mankind now than at any other time in history. The current COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world in weeks, with significant international health, economic, political, social, cultural and environmental consequences. In addition to recognised pathogens with pandemic potential, new unknown pandemic threats may emerge from a number of sources. Globalisation of travel and trade, environmental encroachment and exploitation, climate change, complex food chains, vector migration and rising urban population densities are all factors contributing to increased pandemic threat levels.
Since COVID-19 emerged in late 2019, countries from across Europe have strived to come together with a cohesive response to fight the virus, however individual countries are responding to the pandemic in very different ways. As a result, the pandemic has highlighted vulnerabilities in this response, and what’s required now is a more resilient, whole of EU approach to managing future pandemics.
PANDEM-2 aims to develop new solutions for efficient, EU-wide pandemic management to prepare Europe for future pandemics through innovations in training, building capacity between EU member states responding to pandemics on a cross-border basis. PANDEM-2 will work with national, EU and international stakeholders to develop and demonstrate cutting edge solutions to pandemic management that will secure Europe’s capacity to prepare for and respond to the pandemic events of the future.
We will achieve this by addressing the following specific objectives:
1. To identify, map and integrate pandemic-related data from multiple sources into a coherent pandemic-management database
2. To develop an extensible dashboard for pandemic preparedness training and response
3. To develop effective resource modelling and health service management tools
4. To enable participatory surveillance that will feed into the pandemic management database
5. To create and deliver resources, innovations and training for pandemic communication
6. To deliver capacity building and develop an operational strategy for cross border pandemic response
7. To deliver long term value in the area of pandemic response beyond the lifetime of the project
Led by NUI Galway, the PANDEM-2 consortium consists of 19 partner organisations with expertise in information technology, microbiology, public health, communications and pandemic management from across the EU. Our Advisory Board membership includes leading international health agencies from the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), to the American Red Cross and the Irish Defence Forces.
Since COVID-19 emerged in late 2019, countries from across Europe have strived to come together with a cohesive response to fight the virus, however individual countries are responding to the pandemic in very different ways. As a result, the pandemic has highlighted vulnerabilities in this response, and what’s required now is a more resilient, whole of EU approach to managing future pandemics.
PANDEM-2 aims to develop new solutions for efficient, EU-wide pandemic management to prepare Europe for future pandemics through innovations in training, building capacity between EU member states responding to pandemics on a cross-border basis. PANDEM-2 will work with national, EU and international stakeholders to develop and demonstrate cutting edge solutions to pandemic management that will secure Europe’s capacity to prepare for and respond to the pandemic events of the future.
We will achieve this by addressing the following specific objectives:
1. To identify, map and integrate pandemic-related data from multiple sources into a coherent pandemic-management database
2. To develop an extensible dashboard for pandemic preparedness training and response
3. To develop effective resource modelling and health service management tools
4. To enable participatory surveillance that will feed into the pandemic management database
5. To create and deliver resources, innovations and training for pandemic communication
6. To deliver capacity building and develop an operational strategy for cross border pandemic response
7. To deliver long term value in the area of pandemic response beyond the lifetime of the project
Led by NUI Galway, the PANDEM-2 consortium consists of 19 partner organisations with expertise in information technology, microbiology, public health, communications and pandemic management from across the EU. Our Advisory Board membership includes leading international health agencies from the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), to the American Red Cross and the Irish Defence Forces.
The PANDEM-2 consortium contains a unique group of stakeholders and end-users from public health agencies to first responder organisations who advise the technical team on relevant data sources and platform requirements based on their significant experience of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In year 1 we identified the most relevant pandemic management related data sources and analytical tools, and a list of priority indicators to be displayed in the PANDEM-2 Dashboard. A novel open-source IT tool (pandem-source) was developed that can collect real time data from a large variety of traditional and non-traditional data surveillance sources.
The PANDEM-2 technical team members worked with end-users to define and prioritize the most important aspects to include in the initial prototype of the PANDEM-2 Dashboard (Cases, Hospitalisations, Hospital bed capacity, Deaths and Excess mortality) and development of the advanced prototype is ongoing, on target to be delivered by month 18 of the project.
Initial model prototypes for resource modelling were developed focusing on contact tracing, hospital resources, and post-hospital care. An infectious disease model for pandemic planning is being developed which will be tested at our functional training exercise in month 21.
In terms of participatory surveillance new IT tools were developed to analyse social media tweets and a new Influenzanet platform was completed and deployed in Italy, to be implemented in Switzerland, Ireland and Portugal in year 2.
A state-of the art analysis of pandemic communications, was performed in year one with key findings structured in “Knowledge Bases”. A pandemic communication toolkit was developed as a practical resource and an innovation workshop is planned for month 16. Media communication training for pandemic communicators is currently in preparation.
A panel of relevant stakeholders to promote and test the results of PANDEM-2 was identified and a repository of training material developed for pandemic managers. A team of stakeholders from across Europe is already working together on the development of three serious cross-border pandemic scenarios that cover all phases from peacetime planning to response to post-outbreak debrief. In the demonstrations the PANDEM-2 IT solutions and relevant materials will be used to plan for, and respond to, pandemic scenarios.
PANDEM-2 has been active in disseminating its work through a variety of channels. These include online dissemination through the website, social media, and interactions with relevant stakeholders, as well as through press releases, conferences, meetings and academic papers.
In year 1 we identified the most relevant pandemic management related data sources and analytical tools, and a list of priority indicators to be displayed in the PANDEM-2 Dashboard. A novel open-source IT tool (pandem-source) was developed that can collect real time data from a large variety of traditional and non-traditional data surveillance sources.
The PANDEM-2 technical team members worked with end-users to define and prioritize the most important aspects to include in the initial prototype of the PANDEM-2 Dashboard (Cases, Hospitalisations, Hospital bed capacity, Deaths and Excess mortality) and development of the advanced prototype is ongoing, on target to be delivered by month 18 of the project.
Initial model prototypes for resource modelling were developed focusing on contact tracing, hospital resources, and post-hospital care. An infectious disease model for pandemic planning is being developed which will be tested at our functional training exercise in month 21.
In terms of participatory surveillance new IT tools were developed to analyse social media tweets and a new Influenzanet platform was completed and deployed in Italy, to be implemented in Switzerland, Ireland and Portugal in year 2.
A state-of the art analysis of pandemic communications, was performed in year one with key findings structured in “Knowledge Bases”. A pandemic communication toolkit was developed as a practical resource and an innovation workshop is planned for month 16. Media communication training for pandemic communicators is currently in preparation.
A panel of relevant stakeholders to promote and test the results of PANDEM-2 was identified and a repository of training material developed for pandemic managers. A team of stakeholders from across Europe is already working together on the development of three serious cross-border pandemic scenarios that cover all phases from peacetime planning to response to post-outbreak debrief. In the demonstrations the PANDEM-2 IT solutions and relevant materials will be used to plan for, and respond to, pandemic scenarios.
PANDEM-2 has been active in disseminating its work through a variety of channels. These include online dissemination through the website, social media, and interactions with relevant stakeholders, as well as through press releases, conferences, meetings and academic papers.
PANDEM-2 will advance the state-of-the-art by delivering a suite of novel simulations and predictive models for cross-border resource allocation and management concepts, to support cross-border pandemic preparedness and response.
A principal output of PANDEM-2 is a prototype IT system that integrates innovative tools and supports existing emergency frameworks. A single Dashboard of specific services and visualisations, which combine inputs from multiple sources to support specific pandemic-management missions, will deliver greatly enhanced decision support. The flexible tools for data collection and data sharing can provide solutions to fight pandemics at a cross border or international level.
The success of pandemic management depends on how the general public and specific at-risk groups respond to public health measures. In PANDEM-2, we will train agencies, responders and others who interact with the public, on how to build and maintain trust. This novel concept combines current risk-communications research results with professional communications and public-relations skills, all informed by syntheses of the multi-source data.
The PANDEM-2 team will train stakeholder personnel on the use of the IT system, and will carry out demonstration scenarios, during which preparedness and response will be evaluated. A tabletop exercise is planned at month 17 and a functional exercise at month 21 which covers a cross-border aspect between Germany and the Netherlands. In these scenarios the products developed in the PANDEM-2 project will be tested and validated in real world settings.
Pandemics, by nature of their wide impact, represent one of the most important threats to the EU way of life, for citizens of all ages. PANDEM-2 will contribute to European preparedness and response by building cross-border capacity, by enabling demonstrations and inter-agency networking, by developing important simulation and prediction models, by prototyping innovative technologies, and by equipping pandemic managers to communicate effectively.
A principal output of PANDEM-2 is a prototype IT system that integrates innovative tools and supports existing emergency frameworks. A single Dashboard of specific services and visualisations, which combine inputs from multiple sources to support specific pandemic-management missions, will deliver greatly enhanced decision support. The flexible tools for data collection and data sharing can provide solutions to fight pandemics at a cross border or international level.
The success of pandemic management depends on how the general public and specific at-risk groups respond to public health measures. In PANDEM-2, we will train agencies, responders and others who interact with the public, on how to build and maintain trust. This novel concept combines current risk-communications research results with professional communications and public-relations skills, all informed by syntheses of the multi-source data.
The PANDEM-2 team will train stakeholder personnel on the use of the IT system, and will carry out demonstration scenarios, during which preparedness and response will be evaluated. A tabletop exercise is planned at month 17 and a functional exercise at month 21 which covers a cross-border aspect between Germany and the Netherlands. In these scenarios the products developed in the PANDEM-2 project will be tested and validated in real world settings.
Pandemics, by nature of their wide impact, represent one of the most important threats to the EU way of life, for citizens of all ages. PANDEM-2 will contribute to European preparedness and response by building cross-border capacity, by enabling demonstrations and inter-agency networking, by developing important simulation and prediction models, by prototyping innovative technologies, and by equipping pandemic managers to communicate effectively.