COVID-19 disease modellers lacked structured training, policy, and data networks.

Need for capacity strengthening outside infectious disease emergencies through.

Trained experts continuously advancing state-of-the-art methodologies.

Structural liaisons amongst scientists and decision-makers.

Foundation and management of data-sharing frameworks.

This short communication reflects upon the challenges and recommendations of multiple COVID-19 modelling and data analytic groups that provided quantitative evidence to support health policy discussions in Switzerland and Germany during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Capacity strengthening outside infectious disease emergencies will be required to enable an environment for a timely, efficient, and data-driven response to support decisions during any future infectious disease emergency.

This will require 1) a critical mass of trained experts who continuously advance state-of-the-art methodological tools, 2) the establishment of structural liaisons amongst scientists and decision-makers, and 3) the foundation and management of data-sharing frameworks.

Public health emergency

Modelling

COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2

Pandemic

Policy

© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.