The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new strategic plan for the management of coronavirus disease threats, including COVID-19, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and potential new coronavirus diseases. This is the first such unified plan for coronavirus disease threats, marking a turning point in the transition from the COVID-19 emergency response to sustained, long-term, and integrated management.
Building on the lessons of the past five years of COVID-19 response and ongoing work on MERS and other respiratory diseases, the Strategic plan for coronavirus disease threat management: advancing integration, sustainability, and equity, 2025–2030 guides national health authorities and partners in taking a coherent, action-oriented approach to managing coronavirus disease threats in the broader context of infectious disease management.
From the emergence and spread of the first SARS coronavirus in 2002 and MERS-CoV in 2012, to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in 2019, coronaviruses have repeatedly shown their capacity to trigger epidemics and pandemics. Although the global impact of COVID-19 has reduced since the peak of the pandemic, the virus continues to circulate widely, causing severe disease and death in high-risk groups. Around 6% of those infected develop Post COVID-19 Condition (also known as long COVID), with 15% of these people experiencing symptoms beyond a year. Several regions have recently reported increases in SARS-CoV-2 activity, and uncertainties persist around virus evolution and long-term impacts of COVID-19.
“Coronaviruses remain one of the most consequential infectious disease threats today,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Acting Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Management. “Integrating their management into broader respiratory disease and infectious threat prevention and control programmes, including for influenza, is essential. While each country will have its own approach tailored to its national context, WHO urges Member States to use the strategic directions set out in the plan to build resilient health systems that can effectively manage current threats while preparing for future ones.”
The strategic plan builds on previous Strategic Preparedness and Response Plans for COVID-19 and reflects a consultative and inclusive process, drawing on input from WHO Member States, regional and country offices, technical partners, and the general public to ensure that the strategic plan is grounded in the diverse needs, priorities, and realities of health systems and communities worldwide.
The plan encompasses both routine management as well as emergency scenarios, reflecting the flexibility national systems need to deal with known circulating coronaviruses and the emergence of a new coronavirus with pandemic potential.
To strengthen global coronavirus monitoring, WHO has also expanded its Coronavirus Network (CoViNet), a network of disease surveillance programmes and reference laboratories for SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and emerging coronaviruses of public health significance. CoViNet now includes 45 national reference laboratories across the human, animal, and environmental health sectors, with 11 laboratories added in 2025. CoViNet complements WHO’s Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS), which conducts global sentinel surveillance, including for SARS-CoV-2.
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