Health system responses to COVID-19

Many countries across the European region and beyond have faced another steep surge in transmissions and a continued challenge from COVID-19. This special issue of Eurohealth reviews some of the innovative practices across the European region and outlines policy lessons for the future. All the articles draw on the COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor (HSRM) platform, a major initiative led by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Commission. Contents include:

COVID-19 perspectives - Lessons from the first wave: the Covid-19 Health System Response Monitor (HSRM) an evidence resource and a source of analysis; A perspective from the WHO Regional Office for Europe; A perspective from the European Commission; Covid-19 and health systems resilience; How to respond to the Covid-19 economic and health financing crisis?; Translating evidence into policy during the Covid-19 pandemic: bridging science and policy (and politics)

Preventing transmission - Successful find-test-trace-isolate-support systems: how to win at snakes and ladders; Effective contact tracing and the role of apps: lessons from Europe; How comparable is Covid-19 mortality across countries?

Ensuring sufficient workforce capacity - What strategies are countries using to expand health workforce surge capacity during the Covid-19 pandemic?; How are countries supporting their health workers during Covid-19?

Providing health services effectively - Managing health systems on a seesaw: balancing the delivery of essential health services whilst responding to Covid-19; Restarting more routine hospital activities during Covid-19: approaches from six countries; Keeping what works: remote consultations during the Covid-19 pandemic; The Covid-19 pandemic and long-term care: what can we learn from the first wave about how to protect care homes?

Paying for services - Compensating health care professionals for income losses and extra expenses during Covid-19; Adjusting hospital inpatient payment systems for Covid-19

Governance - In and out of lockdowns, and what is a lockdown anyway? policy issues in transitions; Who’s in charge and why? centralisation within and between governments; National, European, and global solidarity: Covid-19, public health, and vaccines