Health systems are more prepared for future pandemics than they were before COVID‑19, but readiness is uneven, underfunded, and fragile—especially in low‑ and middle‑income countries.

How prepared are health systems right now?

Across the world, pandemic plans, surveillance tools, and response agreements have improved, but many countries still lack the resilient frontline services and funding needed to withstand the next big shock.

Key improvements since COVID‑19 include:

  • Stronger global surveillance networks (including genomic sequencing and open‑source epidemic intelligence).
  • More countries running simulation exercises and updating respiratory pandemic plans.
  • New global agreements and strategies focused on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (e.g., the WHO Pandemic Agreement, regional “preparedness union” strategies).
  • Growing recognition that resilient primary health care and quality routine services are central to pandemic readiness, not an add‑on.

At the same time, major gaps remain:

  • Large funding shortfalls for preparedness programs and health security, especially after the initial COVID‑19 urgency faded.
  • Overstretched health workforces, high burnout, and persistent staff shortages in many countries.
  • Weak integration between sectors like health, agriculture, finance, and security, despite clear calls for “whole‑of‑society” approaches.
  • Unequal access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments, particularly in regions without local manufacturing capacity.

What has actually changed since COVID‑19?

Many of the biggest changes are in surveillance, planning, and global rules of the game—less so in day‑to‑day capacity on the ground. 1. Surveillance and data analytics

  • WHO’s updated open‑source epidemic intelligence systems now help more than 100 countries detect unusual health events faster.
  • Genomic sequencing capacity has expanded globally, with a large network of countries now tracking pathogens with pandemic potential.
  • The International Pathogen Surveillance Network and long‑standing systems like the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System handle millions of samples a year to inform vaccine updates.

2. Agreements, governance, and coordination

  • A historic WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted in 2025 sets a comprehensive framework for prevention, preparedness, and response, including commitments on surveillance, information‑sharing, and equitable access to countermeasures.
  • New frameworks emphasize “One Health”—integrating human, animal, and environmental health to tackle zoonotic spillover risk.
  • Regional strategies (for example, in the EU) aim to coordinate civilian and, in some cases, military preparedness for future crises.

3. Local production and medical countermeasures

  • Initiatives like the mRNA technology transfer hub in South Africa and training centers in Asia aim to spread vaccine manufacturing know‑how beyond a few rich countries.
  • WHO has secured agreements with manufacturers to access antivirals, diagnostics, and hundreds of millions of influenza vaccine doses in future pandemics.
  • Reports and expert bodies call for investment in broad‑spectrum antivirals, rapid diagnostics, and pathogen‑agnostic tools that work even before a specific pathogen is fully understood.

4. Planning and exercises

  • Through the PRET (Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats) initiative, more than a hundred countries have run workshops and simulation exercises and are updating their pandemic plans by transmission route (respiratory, vector‑borne, etc.).
  • WHO and partners are using simulation training (for example via the WHO Academy) to help countries stress‑test their emergency response.

Where are health systems still vulnerable?

Despite progress, multiple analyses agree that most health systems are not yet robust enough to absorb a major new pandemic without serious disruption.

1. Fragile frontline and routine services

  • Strong primary health care is essential to manage surges in demand while continuing routine care, but many settings still have weak community‑level services and limited surge capacity.
  • During COVID‑19, disruptions to maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health services showed how quickly essential care can deteriorate without resilient systems.
  • Researchers emphasize that “prepared” health systems are those that can provide good‑quality care all the time , not just during emergencies.

2. Workforce strain

  • Position statements from infection prevention and epidemiology experts highlight that healthcare personnel shortages, high burnout, and inadequate support undermined COVID‑19 response and remain a major unresolved risk.
  • Protecting and sustaining the health workforce—through better staffing, mental health support, training, and infection‑prevention resources—is identified as critical for future readiness.

3. Governance, trust, and misinformation

  • Global reports point out that weak, fragmented, or politicized governance delayed decisions and eroded public trust during COVID‑19; rebuilding trust via transparent, inclusive decision‑making is now a core pillar of preparedness frameworks.
  • Misinformation and social polarization continue to pose serious challenges to implementing public health and social measures effectively.

4. Inequity and funding gaps

  • Despite new agreements, vaccine and countermeasure equity remains more of an aspiration than a guarantee, especially outside high‑income regions.
  • WHO and UN discussions in 2026 warn that funding cuts and competing crises are putting global health systems “at risk,” with preparedness investments often the first to be trimmed once a crisis fades from headlines.

What experts say health systems must do next

Several analyses of pandemic preparedness and health emergency planning converge on a set of priority actions.

System‑level priorities

  • Build resilient, high‑quality primary health care that can absorb shocks while maintaining essential services.
  • Integrate One Health approaches and strengthen surveillance from community clinics to national labs and international networks.
  • Develop and regularly drill clear protocols for surge capacity, triage, and continuity of care, using simulation and training as standard practice.
  • Invest in pathogen‑agnostic tools: broad‑spectrum antivirals, rapid diagnostics, flexible platforms for vaccines.

Workforce and governance priorities

  • Protect and expand the healthcare workforce, with particular attention to infection prevention teams and public health professionals.
  • Use standardized reporting templates and common metrics so that lessons learned from emergencies can be compared and translated into concrete improvements.
  • Make governance more agile and inclusive, engaging communities in planning and decision‑making to maintain trust and compliance.

Snapshot: How prepared are health systems for future pandemics?

Here is a simplified snapshot of where things stand.

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Dimension Current situation (post‑COVID‑19) Remaining challenges
Surveillance & data Expanded genomic surveillance and open‑source epidemic intelligence in 100+ countries.Data gaps, uneven capacity, and limited real‑time use of analytics in many low‑resource settings.
Global rules & agreements WHO Pandemic Agreement, updated frameworks, and regional strategies for preparedness adopted.Implementation and enforcement lag; national laws and budgets not always aligned with new commitments.
Medical countermeasures New manufacturing hubs, technology transfer, and advance agreements for antivirals and vaccines.Persistent inequities in access, limited local production in many regions, and uncertain financing.
Frontline service resilience Greater recognition that strong primary care and routine quality are core to preparedness.Under‑resourced primary care, fragile supply chains, and difficulty maintaining routine services in crises.
Health workforce Growing policy focus on workforce resilience and infection prevention programs.Ongoing shortages, burnout, and inadequate protection and support for staff.
Financing New funds and initiatives created during and immediately after COVID‑19.Funding cuts and competing priorities now threaten sustained investment in preparedness.
**TL;DR:** Health systems today are better prepared for future pandemics than in 2019, especially in surveillance, planning, and global coordination—but without stronger frontline services, a protected workforce, and stable funding, the next large‑scale pandemic could still overwhelm many countries.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.