A little over five years ago, on 31st December 2019, the World Health Organisation’s Country Office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, China.
In the weeks and months ahead, COVID-19 came to reshape all our lives – and it continues to leave a huge health and economic legacy. Worldwide there have been more than 777 million recorded cases and it has led to more than 7 million deaths.
While for many, life has returned to normal, and lockdowns and mass vaccinations consigned to memory, it remains a prevalent, if less lethal, virus; in the month to 15th December 2024, the WHO reported 195,433 cases, and COVID and flu rates have been rising in the US.
The pandemic presented once-in-a-generation learnings and the organisation has been reflecting on the outbreak as it notched up its five-year milestone.
Its employees activated emergency systems on 1st January 2020, and informed the world on 4th January. By 9th-12th January, WHO had published its first set of comprehensive guidance for countries, and on 13th January, brought together partners to publish the blueprint of the first SARS-CoV-2 laboratory test.
“All along, we convened experts and ministries of health from around the world, gathered and analysed data, and shared what was reported, what we learned and what it meant for people,” the WHO recalls.
Industrial gas companies stirred into action, responding to unprecedented health demands.
Unitaid and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) announced agreements with Air Liquide and Linde for improved access to medical oxygen.
During the height of the pandemic, MiX’s technology allowed Linde to adapt supply actions much faster through the insights received.
MiX Telematics enabled schedulers to closely monitor the supply vehicles through its fleet management technology by informing customers about arrival times and thereby optimising vehicle rotations, whilst simultaneously working to protect driver safety.
Air Products’ teams provided critical medical oxygen deliveries as well as tank and vaporizer installations, replacements, and upgrades while The Air Products Foundation supported COVID-19 relief efforts in India and South America.
Innovation flourished. UNICEF set to work with industry partners on an innovative emergency solution: The Oxygen Plant-in-a-Box package, which included everything needed to install and operate a fully functional pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant within days of arriving at a health facility, producing enough oxygen to treat up to 50 COVID-19 patients, or 100 children with severe pneumonia. From Nigeria to India, leaders invested in facilities.
But delays in receiving oxygen cylinders during the pandemic severely impacted the ability of many remote places to treat patients experiencing respiratory distress.
Despite the end of the pandemic, the relevance of Oxygen PSA plants remains undiminished, given their role in emergency response and ensuring equitable access to oxygen.
According to the WHO, pneumonia alone claimed the lives of over 808,000 children under the age of 5 in 2017 globally, constituting 15 percent of all deaths within this age group. It is estimated that 20-40% of these fatalities could have been averted with access to oxygen therapy.
The Global Oxygen Alliance (GO₂AL) and its members helped more than 50 countries increase access to pulse oximetry and medical oxygen since its launch at the World Health Assembly in 2023.
The Alliance has learned many lessons in the last four years and yet it’s work isn’t done; in fact, it is busier than ever.
“This is a pivotal moment. The need for medical oxygen is high and rising. Together, we can push harder and further, ensuring that medical oxygen is available for every patient who needs it no matter where they live,” it notes.
When asked if the world is better prepared for the next pandemic, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, said “yes and no”.
“The world would still face some of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities that gave COVID-19 a foothold five years ago,” he said. “But it has also learned many of the painful lessons the pandemic taught us and has taken significant steps to strengthen its defences against future epidemics and pandemics.”
Together with the World Bank, the WHO established the Pandemic Fund which is now financing 19 projects in 37 countries with $338m in grants.
WHO supported many countries by strengthening their lab capacity to detect and sequence pathogens and launched the WHO Hub for sharing intelligence and improving local production of vaccines. Last May, the WHO Assembly adopted a package of amendments to the International Health Regulations, and the Pandemic Agreement is being finalised for this summer.
The WHO continues to call on China to share data and access so it can understand the origins of COVID-19, which it describes as “a moral and scientific imperative”. Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics, it notes.
According to gasworld Business Intelligence, total medical oxygen demand was 17,928 tonnes per day (tpd) in 2023 while supply totalled 32,024 tpd and merchant oxygen supply stood at 127,004 tpd.
