Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

This is the first Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and is designed to guide the Australian health sector response. It should be considered a living document periodically updated by news about the virus and risk groups, and as potential treatments become available such as antiviral drugs and vaccine, it allows to target resources and public health interventions to most effectively protect the health of all Australians. Australia will approach this novel coronavirus outbreak by undertaking activities to: monitor and investigate outbreaks as they occur; identify and characterize the nature of the virus and the clinical severity of the disease; research respiratory disease-specific management strategies; respond promptly and effectively to minimize the novel coronavirus outbreak impact; undertake strategies to minimize the risk of further disease transmission; and contribute to the rapid and confident recovery of individuals, communities and services. The activities required to support our community during this novel coronavirus outbreak will involve state and territory governments, the Australian Government and many other health sector parties. Coordination and communication at the national level will be particularly important during our current active response.
The strategic objectives across all stages and activities proposed in this plan will be to: Identifying and characterizing the nature of the virus and the clinical severity of the disease in the Australian context; Minimize transmissibility, morbidity and mortality; Minimize the burden on/ support health systems; and Inform, engage and empower the public. The activities which should be implemented will be selected by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), in consultation with relevant parties. An estimate of the anticipated level of impact will be made early in the response, and continually updated as data availability allows, and used to help planners: allocate resources where they are needed; put in place strategies to supplement likely shortfalls (e.g. innovative options); reduce the risk to vulnerable people; minimize the disruption to the community; and provide a response that is proportionate to the level of impact.
The key factors in this plan’s approach include: the use of existing systems and governance mechanisms, particularly those for other respiratory diseases (such as influenza) and human biosecurity; a flexible approach that can be scaled and varied to meet the needs experienced at the time; evidence-based decision making; strong linkages with emergency response arrangements; clear strategic approaches to the collection of national surveillance data; and an emphasis on communication activities as a key tool in management of the response. The plan aims at providing care in an equitable manner, recognizing special needs, cultural values and religious beliefs of different members of the community. This is especially important when providing health services to vulnerable individuals, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people who are culturally and linguistically diverse. The plan is supported by the Emergency Response Plan for Communicable Diseases Incidents of National Significance: National Arrangements (National CD Plan) (https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-nat-CD-plan.htm).
The Australian Government is responsible for developing and maintaining systems to monitor communicable disease activity domestically and internationally and for communicating relevant information. Once a novel coronavirus with pandemic potential has arrived in Australia, these systems will be used for monitoring and analysis. Working together with state and territory representatives, the Australian Government will assess the risk of any potential outbreak threats to inform decision making about appropriate actions. State and territory governments are responsible for collecting surveillance data to contribute to the national picture and to inform the jurisdictional public health response.