COVID-19 must catalyse key global natural experiments

The COVID-19 pandemic has in a matter of weeks fundamentally crippled health systems in many countries and is now threatening to cause a global economic depression [1]. This in turn is having an unprecedented impact on health care organisations’ ability to provide emergency care and on societies to provide core functions of the state. Even in such exceptionally challenging times, it is important to search for any possible glimmers of hope. One such glimmer comes from the unique opportunity to mount global natural experiments which, if we take, could ultimately contribute to deliberations that may result in the saving of more lives than are lost in this pandemic