Strengthening population health surveillance: a tool for selecting indicators to signal and monitor the wider effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (2021)

The COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken to control the spread of the coronavirus have a substantial impact on population health beyond the morbidity and mortality caused by the virus directly. To provide a comprehensive picture of the impact of the pandemic, suitable indicators for signalling and tracking these wider effects should be incorporated into national monitoring activities related to COVID-19.

This document provides a tool for Member States to select suitable indicators for this purpose. It consists of

1. a longlist of mechanisms through which the COVID-19 pandemic influences population health and related indicator areas,
2. a set of important considerations for monitoring the wider effects of the pandemic focusing on health inequalities, data sources, and working with trends, and
3. a list of core indicators that can serve as a practical starting point for Member States for monitoring the wider effects of the pandemic.

This guidance document is part of the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s work on supporting Member States in strengthening their health information systems. Helping countries to produce solid health intelligence and institutionalized mechanisms for evidence-informed policy-making has traditionally been an important focus of WHO’s work and continues to be so under the European Programme of Work 2020–2025.