Covid-19 has proven to be a formidable enemy for governments and public health agencies, especially in the US. But to get the prescription for change right, the right diagnosis is essential (“Biden’s bureaucrats fail Covid-19 test”, Big Read, January 27).
The world has never seen anything like this. And it’s easy to be critical. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention works within a public health system where state and local health departments and CDC are often poorly aligned, and poorly co-ordinated with healthcare services, which themselves are neither co-ordinated nor use consistent data systems. Despite the success of Operation Warp Speed in betting on multiple vaccines, the entire US public health apparatus, especially the CDC, was undermined, sidelined and maligned by Donald Trump and his administration. The impact of this, and of poisoned communications about masks, mandates and vaccines continue to reverberate throughout President Joe Biden’s response. Trust is built over time and lost in seconds. Rebuilding trust will take time.
Considering the magnitude of the challenges and terrible hand it was dealt, the Biden administration has done a good job in its response. It has prioritised science, followed the data and worked to adapt the response.
The Biden administration should improve its Covid messaging, increasing policy alignment and ensuring that the CDC restores its role as a national and global leader.
Despite the criticism of CDC’s revised isolation and quarantine guidance, it was correct — just not explained well. Pushing for people to get boosted, reducing isolation and quarantine periods as Omicron was surging, protecting the vulnerable from infection and establishing crisis standards for hospitals were the right moves to blunt the impact of Omicron.
Even with the best guidance, policies and response, rampant partisanship will hamstring efforts to bring Covid or a future public health threat to heel.
There are lessons to be learnt from Covid but it’s premature to give Biden’s response a failing grade. The real test will come in the months ahead as the administration works to reform and strengthen US and global public health agencies for this fight, and the inevitable next one.
Dr Tom Frieden
Former Director, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Chief Executive and President, Resolve to Save Lives, New York, NY, US
Letter: It’s too early to give Biden’s Covid-19 response a failing grade
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