Here are the steps the United States should take now to prepare.
 | By Alexandra Sifferlin Senior Staff Editor, Opinion |
At times throughout the pandemic, I've found it clarifying to hear directly from people with experience leading communities and institutions through health crises. Right now, as cases rise in spots across the globe, is one of those moments. |
Dr. Tom Frieden, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director who oversaw the United States' response to the H1N1 influenza, Ebola and Zika epidemics, argues in a guest essay that the risks for a new wave of infections are clear. Even though America is in a Covid lull, there's still work to be done to ensure the impact of a new wave of cases is blunted, he writes. |
As Frieden outlines, a more infectious subvariant of Omicron, called BA.2, is spreading right when pandemic restrictions like mask mandates are rolling back. What's of greatest concern to him, he writes, is that there remains a high proportion of people — including older Americans — who are still not vaccinated or boosted. In Hong Kong, where vaccination rates among the elderly are considered low, this has proved deadly. |
There are certain things that U.S. leaders need to do now to make sure people are well prepared for whatever comes next. This includes urging more people to get vaccinated and boosted, and making sure everyone has access to masks, tests and Covid-19 treatments. But there are more ingrained issues to address as well. "Repeated Covid surges have thrown into relief the underlying weaknesses and chronic underfunding of our public health and primary health care systems," writes Frieden. "Infectious diseases emerge where society fails. Lack of trust limits the ability of governments to protect their people." |
Strengthening America's capacity to respond to future threats, whether it's another Covid surge or a totally different outbreak, will require immense effort. Frieden calls for more sustained funding for pandemic preparedness. It won't be easy: The White House says it is running low on funding for Covid programs. "Even so, we must try," writes Frieden. "Public health, like politics, is the art of the possible." |
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