Proactive Engagement of the Expert Meeting in Managing the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Epidemic, Japan, February–June 2020

T he coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a huge global impact.Historically, the role of the scientifi c community has been crucial for developing science-based interventions to be implemented by public health authorities seeking to effectively confront newly emerging infectious diseases.In Japan's fi rst-phase response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which lasted through the end of June 2020, the Expert Meeting (EM) for COVID-19 response served as an advisory group for the government's COVID-19 Response Headquarters.The group played a much more extensive role than groups of technical experts are generally expected to play.This article reviews the literature on the role and achievements of the EM in the COVID-19 response during February-June 2020, with the aim of defi ning the ideal relationship and mechanism of expert groups and government authorities for future public health crisis management. Operational and Advisory Bodies for COVID-19 Response in JapanAt the end of December 2019, when cases of human infection by the new coronavirus were fi rst reported, Proactive Engagement of the Expert Meeting in Managing the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Epidemic, Japan, February-June 2020

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