What The New Administration Must Do On Day One To Tackle COVID-19
To turn the tide on the COVID-19 pandemic, the new administration will have to do a number of things beginning on January 20, 2021. First and foremost, a comprehensive response strategy and detailed plan must be communicated across the federal government, among states and local communities, and to the public.
Most medical and public health experts agree that the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic has thus far been a failure. President Trump and his administration failed to develop a comprehensive strategy and plan, engaged in a passive, reactive approach and frequently issued mixed messages that confused the public, leading to distrust of both our leaders and experts. The federal government abdicated its leadership role in a grave national emergency, leaving states and local governments rudderless and without a coordinated response leading to wide variations in protective measures. Political appointees have interfered with science, including editing scientific guidance documents issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), putting pressure on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize useless and potentially harmful therapeutics and made masking – a proven effective measure against transmission among people – a political issue. The repercussions of this failure have been devastating. There are over 10 million people who have been infected and almost 240,000 dead in the United States with more deaths on the horizon. It didn’t have to be this way.
To turn the tide, the new administration will have to do a number of things beginning on January 20, 2021. First and foremost, a comprehensive response strategy and detailed plan must be communicated across the federal government, among states and local communities and to the public. The incoming administration has already taken the first steps by drafting a plan and empaneling a set of scientific advisors that will more effectively address the public health and economic crises caused by the pandemic. Specific actions that will need to be taken fall into the following six categories:
public health system strengthening;
public health communication;
expansion of access to care;
supply chain optimization and critical infrastructure readiness;
assessment of FDA authorizations; and
fair and equitable prioritization, allocation and distribution of vaccine.
The new administration also must prioritize filling political positions with qualified candidates with proven leadership experience, not just at the Cabinet Secretary level but down several levels where the work is executed. There is no time to waste and the next President must work with the Senate to confirm candidates as quickly as possible. However, obstacles threaten the implementation of any plan by the new administration. The appropriation of funding for public health and other aspects of the response, in addition to the enhancements to the Affordable Care Act proposed by the Biden administration, will depend on whatever party becomes the majority in the Senate.