Following the science’: the role of an independent advisory structure in the COVID-19 pandemic response and beyond

Background

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread in 2020, many governments across the globe put structures in place to access rapid independent scientific evidence. The South African Minister of Health established an advisory committee in March 2020 to provide high-level strategic advice. This technical guidance, developed as topic-specific ‘advisories’, was expected to be context-specific and based on the best available evidence, locally and internationally. The authors developing the advisories could draw on systems-wide, multidisciplinary experience.