And not only in the physical norm – social distancing , mask wearing and hand hygiene – as is being practised in fighting COVID-19 .
Modern data science and digital health technologies are likely to be the new weapons in the prevention and eradication of new diseases . Telehealth , implantable and wearable devices , robotics , bioprinting , artificial intelligence , and a host of other exponential technologies are likely to become part of everyday medical tools . Breakthrough technology that transforms the body into a virus-zapping vaccine factory is poised to revolutionise the fight against future pandemics and even cancer , scientists say . The traditional method of creating vaccines – introducing a weakened or dead virus , or a piece of one , to stimulate the body ’ s immune system – takes over a decade on average , according to studies . One pandemic flu vaccine took more than eight years while a hepatitis B vaccine was nearly 18 years in the making .
Moderna ’ s vaccine went from gene sequencing to the first human injection in 63 days . With BioNTech and Pfizer ’ s COVID-19 candidate on a similar trajectory , both have won regulatory approval within a year since the coronavirus first emerged . Many future innovations will originate outside of the traditional healthcare industry .
Trend 3 : A surge in social consciousness . It again took a pandemic to place a spotlight on the old social ailments that the world continues to ignore . The plight of the vulnerable made headlines : violence against women and children during lockdown , the unavailability of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) to healthcare workers , the educational blackout of the digitally deprived , and the propagation of fear and misinformation for political and ideological gain . The basic securities that the middle to higher classes experience as a given , are not a given for the poor . They are living in the presence of the most fundamental hazards every day , having to spend their best energy on basic survival strategies .
Too many children die every year of poor hygiene in deprived communities throughout the world . We are being challenged to craft new models of social justice . It is clearer than ever that thoughtful and well-crafted policies are needed to bring the marginalised into the loop and the planet back from the brink . The pandemic reminded us through both good and bad examples from across the world that good government and strong political leadership matter , and that it is a matter for serious and intelligent people .
The world clearly has the ability to act collectively as 2020 proved , despite imperfections .
This was also the case in tackling the financial calamity of 2008 . The joint crisis management skill of our species can be quite remarkable .
It is just a pity that it always takes a crisis to jolt us out of our self-centred ways . It is a matter of transforming political will , of re-establishing our societal collective priorities , into action . Policymakers did not hesitate to implement unprecedented measures to fight the pandemic and the financial crisis , and effectively borrowed vast sums from our children ’ s future . Just picture a world in which the remaining causes of poverty are tackled with the same urgency and zest .
Trend 4 : A surge in environmental consciousness . In an unexpected way , the COVID-19 pandemic has helped to draw the world ’ s attention to the far bigger crisis it is confronted with : the loss of biodiversity at an alarming rate and global warming . In short , an environmental crisis of such magnitude that our planet will die if we do not act urgently .
The lockdowns highlighted the impact of pollution , our footprint on the planet , since this social experiment of unprecedented scale allowed many to experience , for a brief moment , a less polluted world . It emphasised that we are in this together . The melting of glaciers and the loss of tropical jungles will impact all of us . There is
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