‘This Way Out’: ONE Campaign Shares Plan to End the Pandemic

WASHINGTON–   The ONE Campaign today released its Five Point Plan to End the Pandemic, intended to provide a roadmap for world leaders to finally curb the COVID-19 crisis, support a truly global health and economic recovery, and strengthen global response protocol for future pandemics. 

Much has changed since the early days of COVID-19, not least of which is the development of lifesaving vaccines and therapeutics that allow certain countries to declare victory over the acute phase of the pandemic and begin a return to “normalcy.”

The continued absence of a coordinated global plan to end the pandemic has contributed to the deaths of more than 18 million people, triggered the first increase in extreme poverty in 25 years, reversed critical gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other preventable diseases, and ravaged global health systems. Without a coordinated strategy to ensure critical virus-fighting tools and technology are accessible everywhere, COVID could cost the world $14 trillion by the end of 2024. ONE’s hope is that this plan provides a roadmap for achievable, sustainable progress against COVID-19 and an improvement in health outcomes and livelihoods across the globe.

Gayle Smith, CEO of the ONE Campaign, said: “For all that individual countries have done over the past two years to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on their own turf–and some have done a lot–the global fight against COVID has been behind from the beginning. Despite good intentions, world leaders have yet to mobilize the requisite funding, political will, and imagination needed to reach the simplest of conclusions: A global pandemic cannot be resolved without a truly global plan.” 

ONE’s plan challenges world leaders to reframe our initial responses to global health emergencies and suggests a series of concerted, strategic actions along five key lines of effort: 

• Meet global demand for vaccination coverage;
• Ensure all countries can access the tools necessary to ‘manage’ the virus;
• Resolve constraints that limit accessibility to vaccine and therapeutic technologies;
• Foster a truly global economic recovery; and
• Prepare for the next virus. 

Gayle Smith added: “As it has shown us time and time again, this virus is relentless. If allowed space to mutate, it will. Business as usual isn’t going to cut it. We have to reframe the way we approach this global health threat and those undoubtedly to come. 

“Our plan isn’t revolutionary nor, frankly, is it rocket science. We have the technology and the tools needed to effect an equitable global health response. What we need is to factor in equity and efficiency from the start. It’s the right thing and, as this pandemic has made clear, the smart thing to do. 

“We have an opportunity and the obligation to get this right. COVID clearly doesn’t plan on giving up–neither can we.”