| Responding to the pandemic has required a lot from health-care systems. But the sheer scale of efforts to prevent this disease from crippling populations is also helping some countries accelerate their transition to universal health coverage. While the United Nations in 2012 unanimously endorsed health coverage that would give every person quality health services without forcing personal financial hardship, many countries haven't closed the gap. As a highly contagious virus that infects broadly, from heads of state to the unemployed, it's never been more clear that equal access to good healthcare makes good sense. South Africa's health minister, Zweli Mkhize, told reporters two weeks ago at a World Economic Forum and World Health Organization briefing that the evolving coronavirus crises was causing sweeping changes in how the country's health system operates.  A National Health Laboratory Service mobile lab in Rustenburg, South Africa. Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg For decades South Africa has had a two-tiered system where the wealthy get more attention than they need while the poor don't get enough. The country has slowly been forming a plan to redeploy the resources of the country's top earners to make health care affordable for the many. The public system is fragile and the efforts to introduce a national health insurance have met resistance. Now, South Africa's response to the crises is making collaboration between the two sectors much closer, Mkhize said. "We have agreed that we need to face the outbreak as a health sector, which means we make decisions with private and public," he said. The response has also resulted in the release of more public funds. Last month South Africa started sending mobile screening and testing vans out into communities. After the epidemic, these vehicles will be used for tuberculosis testing and to take blood samples in remote areas. While there is still plenty more to be done in bringing about a more equitable national health service—and in aligning the interests of both the public and private sectors—the virus is breaking down walls that could expedite the expansion of care.—Janice Kew | 
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