The effective and efficient handling of emergency calls saves lives. The faster a PSAP
operator can log the call and direct the appropriate resources, the better chance of a quick
and successful resolution of an emergency call.

As COVID-19 continues to quickly expand around the globe some organizations are holding back posting information sets due to fears of not meeting regulatory security and privacy obligations (such as HIPAA), while others push through datasets publicly in a panic, but it does not need to be this way. Esri geospatial visualization, analytics, and geographic thinking are being leveraged and showcased heavily during this pandemic to help understand and analyze infections, deaths, business continuity and more. Strong public interest in geospatial services concerning COVID-19 has also resulted in some resources looking for opportunities to inject malware or drive misinformation.

Safeguarding public health and providing protection against healthrelated threats are responsibilities that fall directly on the shoulders
of public health preparedness professionals. These individuals, the
agencies they work for, and their partners generate volumes of data
in a variety of systems. Integrating these disparate data types into
one comprehensive view so that it is accessible to all stakeholders
is a challenge. Location is often the only data feature that's
common among these different systems. Geographic information
system (GIS) technology provides a framework to bring different
types of location information together and combine them on a map.
The map makes the data easier to understand and to plan a course
of action.

In response to COVID-19, Microsoft have made the following resources available:
• Microsoft’s commitment to customers during COVID-19
• Working remotely during challenging times
• The top 9 ways Microsoft IT is enabling remote work for its employees
• Support remote workers using Microsoft Teams
• Microsoft FastTrack is available to assist organizations setting up remote work and
learning in response to COVID-19
• Work remotely, stay secure - guidance for CISOs

This document is intended for health ministers, health system administrators, and other decision-makers. It is meant to guide the
care of COVID-19 patients as the response capacity of health systems is challenged; to ensure that COVID-19 patients can access
life-saving treatment, without compromising public health objectives and safety of health workers.

Across the globe, countries have implemented a number of
control measures to comprehensively prepare for and respond
to COVID-19. The overarching goal of the WHO global
COVID-19 response strategy1 is for all countries to control
the pandemic by slowing down transmission and reducing
mortality associated with COVID-19, with the ultimate aim
of reaching and maintaining a state of low-level or no
transmission. Based on local epidemiology, some countries
are in the process of scaling up public health and social
measures, while others are or currently considering scaling
down these measures.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already placed great stress on healthcare systems in a number of
EU Member States. Many fear that their available intensive care places will not be sufficient.
Health professionals are overworked and workforce shortages are growing acute in many
healthcare facilities. A number of countries are calling for emergency assistance from the EU
and other EU Member States. This call for support has been already answered by some. Recent
regional initiatives of hospital cooperation to treat COVID-19 patients – several German Länder
and Luxembourg offering intensive care places and hospital treatment to Italian and French
patients – are saving lives and help alleviate the capacities of health systems under stress by
providing intensive care places. This is an encouraging and important signal of European
solidarity. Since exceptional emergency situations exist a more coordinated approach in crossborder healthcare1
is justified.

Information for healthcare professionals

The World Health Organization
(WHO) and its Member States
have committed to progress
toward health-related
goals, including universal
health coverage (UHC) and
Sustainable Development
Goal 3 to “Ensure healthy lives
and promote well-being for all,
at all ages”.

This report will inform the next phase of the work of the Global Health
Workforce Network GEH, which seeks to use these research findings
to advocate gender-transformative policy and action.