Do we copy or invent during the COVID-19 crisis?

Published in Los Tiempos, 23 May 2020.

One of the objectives of Bolivia is to stop being a dependent country that only produces raw materials for exploitation and goes to the stage of industrialization resulting in independence. To this end, education is especially important, and many attempts have been made to improve the level according to the country’s need.

This time of COVID-19 presents many challenges at all levels and certainly in health. The decisions and strategies to make as a government are crucial for the population and the economy. Therefore, there was an urgent need to back up his policies in science. Mathematical models based on the economy and epidemiology of each country have solidly demonstrated the steps to be followed for the different levels of quarantine and the results show a lower social cost. These models have shown advantages and I detail some of them: 1) identification capacity and early actions, 2) reduction in the number of serious cases reaching health centers and better preparation for intensive care services, 3) protocols for population strategies ( travel, prevention, medical care, case detection, etc.). What is more, the models can also show whether smooth or strict quarantine measures are necessary depending on the results. They can also help plan financial compensation exchanges for the neediest sectors. All this in order to increase the efficiency in the use of resources.

In Bolivia, many actions are copied from other countries (Spain, Sweden) without having a similar context. Universities, epidemiologists or others were not considered to outline science-based strategies. Not even public officials of SEDES had the obligation to train themselves to attend science-based the COVID-19 crisis. It is likely that such advanced mathematical models are not available, but if the government does not use them to base policies on research, what would be the incentive for professionals to improve their models? There is a great barrier between science and policy and COVID-19 demonstrates this.