Scientific Advice on COVID-19 in Four Nations: France, Germany, UK and USA

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of scientific advice on COVID-19 in four countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the United States. In the United Kingdom, it is a dedicated body for scientific advice in emergency situations, called the SAGE. In Germany and the United States, it is existing specialized agencies with some experts. In France, it is a newly established expert committee. Bearers of scientific advice during COVID-19 are various. On the other hand, there are something in common. These bodies provide direct advice to policy maker, such as Prime Minster or President. Each parliamentary committees point out as important issues the independence of scientific advice, transparency, and interdisciplinary including humanities and social sciences. While there is no universal successful model of scientific advice in a health emergency, the cases in four countries have many lessons in Japan.