From vaccines to virtual care, enterprise imaging to precision medicine, these are the growth areas that will shape the direction of healthcare, this year and beyond.
The year 2020 has been a year unlike any other year in our history. It has impacted the fabric of our society and life – but most importantly it has changed the healthcare industry forever.
The following 10 predictions that we have made for the global healthcare will define new ways of rethinking business and growth opportunities in 2021, and will help determine the future direction of the industry.
1. By the end of 2021, about 4 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses will be delivered globally.
These will be prioritized to immunize three target groups: the healthcare workforce, consisting of service providers, management & support workers in hospitals and social care; adults above 65; and about 45% of adults with comorbidities.
More than 50% of the expected production capacity of the vaccine candidates, which are in Phase III and are getting emergency approval, have been pre-booked by developed economies, such as the U.S., the E.U., Japan, Canada and the U.K.
Developing low- and middle-income countries are relying primarily on COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, which is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization. These organizations aim to deliver two billion doses by the end of 2021 equitably among all the 172 participating countries, which would result in around 25% of the global population getting vaccinated.
Pharmaceutical companies will be collaborating extensively for manufacturing, supply chain requirements, post-surveillance studies and storage. Digital enterprise vaccination management platforms will have to be built to inform the public, schedule vaccinations, automate mobile facilities, monitor outcomes and manage the supply chain for COVID-19 vaccines.
By Reenita Das | Healthcare IT News
Image Credit: Reenita Das / Healthcare IT News
