Preventing a covid-19 pandemic

In the aftermath of the 2009 H1N1 global threat, the Department of Health's pandemic preparedness planning team paid particular attention to the value, or otherwise, of containment as a strategy to prevent spread. In 2009 considerable time and effort were spent on a catch, isolate, and treat approach in the early stages of the emerging pandemic, and public health teams were expending considerable energy with, as it turned out, little effect. The resulting UK Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Strategy 2011 1 emphasised the need to maintain the continuity of essential services and continue everyday activities as far as possible.