Significance of surveillance in COVID-19 pandemic and adoption of innovative strategies for its strengthening

Abstract

The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread rapidly across the globe and has impacted each and every community directly or indirectly. Amidst the various components which require strengthening for the successful containment, surveillance is a critical aspect and it significantly aids in reducing the spread of the infection by empowering the public health authorities with the right information. Acknowledging the importance of surveillance, the need of the hour is to strengthen surveillance through adoption of digital technologies which aid in the rapid reporting & data analysis, and even expand in regions with lesser number of cases. In conclusion, surveillance is an integral component of the preparedness and emergency response against the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the need of the hour to adopt innovative strategies to ensure that surveillance is strengthened and we succeed in obtaining comprehensive information about the disease and its spread in the community.