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Is it naive to hope that the pandemic will get better now that we have a new President? The truth is that there is a lot of low hanging fruit that the Biden administration is already working on. I predict our trajectory will start to look better soon. Let me explain 1/14
Health information: Better information about relative COVID19 risks of different activities. @CDCDirector Walensky plans to review all guidance for scientific merit and update it as necessary. This will help reduce transmission right away. 2/14
Funding: HHS had been inexplicably holding up funds appropriated by Congress last summer. Under Biden's administration more funds will be allocated to states and health departments to be spent on COVID19 priorities. 3/14 https://twitter.com/ZoeMcLaren/status/1286089225839009792?s=20
Masks: Better information about which masks we should be using - cloth, surgical + cloth etc. Invoking the DPA for FDA-certified K95 and N95 masks for HCW and the public. 4/14 https://twitter.com/Atul_Gawande/status/1352238602156187648?s=20
Testing: Greater availability of COVID19 testing means people will be able to get tested more cheaply, more easily and more often so we can catch cases earlier and reduce transmission. The administration's spending package includes $50B for testing. It's going to help. 5/14
PCR testing turnaround time: The Federal government can reduce turnaround time through a combination of incentives and penalties for major lab corporations. They can also invoke the DPA to improve the supply chain for testing materials and reagents. 6/14
Rapid antigen testing: Validating and authorizing more antigen test methods. Scaling up manufacturing of already authorized tests. Providing clearer guidance on how to use and interpret them to reduce transmission in the population will help. 7/14 https://twitter.com/ZoeMcLaren/status/1301237415605137411?s=20
Data. Better data collection and dissemination means that elected officials, health departments, school districts and the public will have more information about cases, hospitalizations and vaccinations to make better decisions. More testing also contributes to better data. 8/14
Cooperation between government agencies. The infighting within the previous administration has been well-documented. The Biden administration has selected agency leaders who are committed to working together and providing a unified front. 9/14
Communication: Biden held a COVID19 briefing on the first full day of his Presidency. His Press Secretary plans weekday briefings, which will include regular COVID19 updates. Accountability will help drive progress. And at least we'll have less uncertainty about the future. 10/14
Leadership: Fighting a pandemic effectively requires marshaling resources and coordinating efforts. Having someone at the helm with his hands on the wheel matters. 11/14
Vaccination: I've written about what Biden can do for vaccine supply. He also plans to inject funds, recruit personnel and provide guidance to increase the pace of vaccination. 12/14 https://twitter.com/ZoeMcLaren/status/1350592573648363524?s=20
There are many more things happening than I've listed here: Contact tracing resources, public education on testing and vaccination, retrofitting to improve vaccination, and getting kids back to in-person school safely etc. 13/14
Fighting a pandemic isn't rocket science. In fact Biden's plan has been called "maddeningly obvious". We are about to see what a competent, innovative and empathetic approach can accomplish. I'm hopeful and I think you should be too. 14/14
