Prioritized sectors in the initial government response to face COVID-19. A systematic review.

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the World Health Organization in March 2020, has unleashed an unprecedented health crisis that has affected all aspects of human life. Governments around the world were forced to respond quickly to mitigate the effects of the spread of the virus, implement containment measures, and support their citizens during this global emergency. This study focuses on analyzing how governments prioritized their actions in different sectors during the initial phase of the pandemic.Objective: Identify the prioritized sectors in the first government measures implemented globally to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.Method: This systematic review adheres to the guidelines established in the PRISMA Statement. From an exhaustive search in the Scopus database, a total of 97 scientific articles were identified. After a rigorous evaluation of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 36 articles were selected that met the specific objectives of the research.Results: The analysis of the selected articles revealed that the government measures adopted to confront the pandemic covered a wide range of human activities. However, an evident prioritization was observed in three specific sectors during the initial stage of the crisis at a global level: Social sector, health sector and economic sector.Conclusions: The analysis of the reviewed literature demonstrates that governments, in their initial response to COVID-19, focused their efforts mainly on three sectors. This prioritization reflects a comprehensive strategy that encompassed containment of the virus, protection of health systems, and support for affected economies and societies.