Coronavirus awareness will promote important health policies

Global public awareness of the threat posed by the coronavirus is high thanks to statements from leading health organizations and widespread coverage by news media internationally. In large part because no specific treatments or preventative measures for COVID-19 were available during the initial outbreak, the outbreak has been a boon to public understanding of and support for traditional public health measures such as hand washing, self-monitoring, and quarantines. COVID-19 has raised the profile of ongoing public discussions about healthcare and infectious diseases, such as the debates over mandatory vaccination policies and universal healthcare. The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, stated in an interview in February 2020 that she believed the most valuable message to come out of the outbreak would be "the importance of universal health care and strong health systems". If COVID-19 motivates long-term improvements to health systems globally, those changes could have a far greater impact than the virus itself.