PANDEM-2 commenced in February 2021.
Our initial activities focused on identifying, collecting and aggregating data that is relevant to pandemics management. This included existing data systems (InfluenzaNet, GoData, etc.), laboratory and hospital systems, and social media. We created a new IT tool, PandemSource, to capture and standardise these data, and place them in a central database. When some data sets were not readily accessible or there were potential privacy issues, we created a system to produce synthetic data. These open-source IT tools remain valuable for future pandemics.
We then created tools to allow the data in our database to be viewed and analysed, so that pandemic managers could understand how the pandemic was unfolding, in terms of cases, hospitalisation, vaccination levels, mortality, and other metrics. This also allowed us to explore the effects of different interventions and policies. Because of the sensitivity of health-related data, we maintained a privacy impact assessment activity throughout the project.
We delivered a second set of tools to allow more powerful planning for the next pandemic. These included further visual analytics, resource planning/optimisation, predictive modelling, and workforce capacity analysis. These tools allow pandemic managers to explore ‘what-if’ scenarios and to assess the resources, training and investment needed for a variety of possible different future health emergencies. These open-source tools remain extremely relevant, post-project.
All the dashboard tools, from data analysis and visualisation to resource modelling and prediction, to decision support, were validated in comprehensive simulation exercises (Table-Top Exercise TTX and Functional Exercise FX). These exercises brought together teams from public health agencies across Europe, showing how cross-border collaboration could actually happen. The exercises fed into operational strategy guidelines for the application of PANDEM-2 technologies at national level, for the future.
Social, legal and ethical aspects of pandemic response, and the correct balancing of public and private perspectives, were a common thread, and influenced our technical and other activities at every level.
Biosafety and Biosecurity are critical, especially as they relate to the movement of infected patients and the handling of samples and diagnostics. We developed improved biosafety/biosecurity guidelines for these processes, building on best practice, analysis of new threats (Zika, Nipah, Ebola), and expert consultation. These improved guidelines are relevant and important for future emergencies.
The need for effective communication between pandemic managers and the general public was repeatedly highlighted during the COVID pandemic. Addressing and countering online mis-information (e.g. on social media) is a particular challenge. We worked with all stakeholders to create a toolkit for pandemic communications, including media-interaction training, examples and templates of key documents and presentations, etc. These communications resources remain of high value for future health emergencies.
PANDEM-2’s technological, training and process-enhancement activities were supplemented by professional communications, dissemination, and project management. A highlight was the Final Conference, shared with sister projects eNOTICE and PROACTIVE, with contributions from ECDC, DG HERA and DG SANTE and a broad spectrum of international stakeholders.
