A great reckoning is taking place around the globe as, one by one, nations accept a harsh reality. We will never totally eradicate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) — the culprit responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There will be no vaccine that provides lifelong immunity.
For the U.S. health system, the “new normal” of life with COVID will require a national commitment to controlling inevitable outbreaks by means of a strategic plan that assures preparedness. To that end, Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, and his colleagues have published three succinct, insightful “viewpoint” articles that frame the issues clearly and offer actionable recommendations.
Emanuel has an uncanny talent for “telling it like it is,” and he does this in explaining how COVID-19 and its variants will become just one of a number of circulating infectious upper respiratory viruses like influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
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The strategy must rebuild the public health system to respond more effectively to public health threats…. mportantly, trust in government and public health institutions must be restored, along with “a belief in the value of collective action for public good,” according to Emanuel and colleagues.
