A multi-country comparison of COVID-19 response: Planning, implementation, and health system resilience

The many unknowns of COVID-19 have made the response efforts difficult despite the rapid guidance provided by the WHO. How different countries respond to this pandemic in their preparation and implementation is essential to study and understand. The aim of this project is to compare the public health response to COVID-19 in Brazil, Canada, France, and Mali. Use a case study approach, we will identify strengths and weaknesses in the response, including challenges for health professionals and health systems. To achieve our project aim, we will first document how countries have planned, organized, and implemented public health responses. We will also examine the role of scientific, empirical, and experiential information used in the response planning. We will also study health system vulnerability according to exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacities. We will then generate lessons learned for the benefit of public health and health systems and we will organize a workshop between the four countries and international organizations. . Data sources for this study include key stakeholder interviews with decision makers and practitioners, organizational charts providing health human resource data, internal documentation indicating measures taken and dates implemented (e.g., emergency operations center activation, quarantine), and preparedness plans. The research team is composed of international and national experts in epidemic response and health systems analysis from each of the four countries. It is a multidisciplinary team of infectious disease clinicians, social scientists, public health practitioners, epidemiologists, data scientists, and a knowledge transfer expert. Our team includes decision makers and knowledge partners who are key to ensuring our work remains relevant and also provides an important conduit for the uptake of policy and practices recommendations.