Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE): COVID-19 and Future Pandemics

In November 2019, a novel virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), caused a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. Since then, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), as the disease has been officially labelled, has spread globally, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020. South Africa recorded its first COVID-19 case on 5 March 2020. Since then, the country has declared a State of Disaster on 15 March 2020, a strict 3 week "lockdown", effective 26 March 2020, - which was subsequently extended until 30 April 2020 - and a 5-level "risk adjusted strategy", effective 1 May 2020. South Africa currently shoulders Africa's highest burden of COVID-19, but is also leading the continent's response to the pandemic. The issues facing governments because of the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic are increasingly complex and require time-sensitive decisions that have profound impacts on societies and economies. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to varied leadership responses globally -- from well-articulated and timely directives driven by scientific advice, to politically oriented responses devoid of any scientific basis. In a time where our collective scientific knowledge increases daily, and misinformation spreads rampantly, the need for proactive and accurate science advice to all levels of government is crucial. Expertise and competence lie at the heart of the interpretation and translation of scientific findings. This important role is best played by interdisciplinary Academies of Sciences, which endeavour to promote, apply and disseminate scientific thinking in the service of society. This is done through their members as a collective resource for evidence-based solutions to societal problems. When faced with an overwhelming amount of information and complexity, the role of academies in distilling complexity into a finite number of evidence-based recommendations, is critical. In a recent World Economic Forum article on the possibilities of 'science diplomacy' helping to contain COVID-19, Soler and Oni note that scientists have played a crucial advisory role in the COVID-19 crisis, informing governments, anticipating risks and ensuring research findings guide policy. But many countries also lack such advisory systems, making it harder for them to form evidencebased decisions. It is, therefore, important to work on collaborative efforts to identify such gaps, engender best practise and realise human capacitation through regional economic mechanisms, such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the East African Community (EAC), and continental bodies such as the Africa Union (AU). Public trust is also an important element in the dispensing of science advice. The abundance of social media platforms with immediacy and the ability to transcend time and geographical spaces means that there has never been a greater need for reliable and trusted sources of information. Our increasing inter-connectivity offers opportunities for scientific and lay communities to learn from each other and to adopt best practices. Although the impact of social media is lower on the African continent compared to developed regions due to lower levels of internet penetration and digital connectivity gaps, digital platforms can have a significant impact on public trust, as well as decisionmaking by governmental agencies. It is, therefore, vital to counteract misinformation through science advice that is responsive to damaging messages that thrive on social media platforms. This will require science advisory structures to not simply sift through information to dispel falsehoods, but to proactively promote and amplify verified and accurate information from credible sources. Expected Outputs  Produce Science Advice pieces, Rapid Scoping Reports, Technical Toolkits & Position Papers  Science-policy Advice pieces  Rapid Scoping Reports  Technical Toolkits  Position Papers  Scientific peer reviewed articles