The Covid-19 pandemic appears to be finally winding down! Current statistics show large decreases in case numbers and fatalities. Thanks to Sun City/Huntley’s fabulous management staff and outstanding neighborhood reps, seniors (choosing to do so) have already received their first corona virus vaccination with a second (booster) shot to be given to them in the next few weeks. Masks and social distancing practices are still advised by the government, but a post-pandemic world is now in reach.
Nevertheless, other viruses and bacteria are still lurking throughout our international society. While the world’s population was not ready for the coronavirus, the question remains “Will mankind be ready for the next, inevitable world scourge?”
Dr. Tom Frieden, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2009 to 2017 informs us, “We will have to respond rapidly to any potentially major new health threat.” Frieden proposes the following six urgent steps the world must take to become far more pandemic-proof in the future:
1. Set a new goal for early warning and response: 7-1-7. Frieden comments, “Every country should be able to identify any new suspected outbreak within seven days of emergence, start to investigate the event within one day and report it then, and mount an effective response – defined by clear, specific benchmarks for different pathogens – within seven days.”
2. Bolster the capacity of countries to prepare and respond. Frieden tells us “The best emergency responses use everyday systems that are robust enough to scale up in an emergency.” He continues “Enhancing countries’ capacities will require substantial resources, (huge financial) technical assistance and an insistence on accountability.”
3. Let global institutions focus on what they do best, according to Frieden. A stronger, less politically and less geographically biased World Health Organization (WHO) could provide more financially secure technical support to governments world-wide.
4. Get buy-in from wealthier countries and major philanthropies. Frieden makes the astounding statement “Countries large and small need to step up. Covid-19 has cost the world some $20 trillion. The next pandemic could be even deadlier – and costlier.”
5. Persuade the world to respond globally and address dangerous gaps. “One neglected issue is improving laboratory safety.” First, Frieden explains, “Some lab errors are inevitable, but we have insufficient global standards – and no global oversight – to reduce the risk of unintentional release of deadly pathogens …” Second, he emphasizes, “We must also reduce the risk of diseases spreading from animal populations to humanity.” Finally, Frieden states, “The world must increase its manufacturing capacity for diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines…..We need a new global attitude.”
6. Don’t wait. Frieden summarizes his belief that though we can’t know the timing of the threats ahead, they are inevitable. Therefore, let’s all agree with him that there is no time to lose in making our preparations!
