If the ongoing pandemic has taught us anything, it is that crisis response needs to start years before the crises actually take place. In 2017, Bill Gates warned in an op-ed for Business Insider that the world was not prepared to cope with the looming threat of global pandemics. 

Fast forward to 2021, this warning has become a reality and there are no clear indications that it is going away anytime soon. While developed countries have had varying success in containing the COVID crisis, the scenario is not as optimistic when taken in a global context. 

For example, one of the impacts of COVID-19 highlighted by the Gates Foundation's 2021 Goalkeepers report was that inequality had polarised on every front, and some 30 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty. This is a serious concern, as it has further weakened our preparedness for the next pandemic threat.

Governments are not leaving this to chance and are responding with health emergency preparedness plans. The EU and the US have both announced budget plans to improve responses to future health crises. Indonesia's Health Minister, too, has proposed the creation of a global pool of resources that could be channelled quickly to countries in need of emergency assistance.

Although these are not fail-proof plans, more focus is now being placed on emergency preparedness, which will hopefully put the world in a better position to respond to future health emergencies.