by J. Patrick Fitch and Kirsten Taylor-McCabe
COVID-19 is not the first global pandemic, and it certainly won’t be the last. As the light at the end of the tunnel of this pandemic is in sight, now is the time to take stock in what we’ve learned over the past 12 months — and prepare for the future.
Specifically, the last year has taught us that an effective response against a disease outbreak depends on timely integration of expertise and data across academia, industry and government. As we move forward, we must continue to foster this integration and our capabilities so we can respond effectively to future threats.
For any disease outbreak, there are two well-understood sides of the response: research and development (which looks closely at the disease to determine its origins, how it spreads, pharmaceutical interventions, etc.) and operations (which includes determining and communicating decisions, distributing test kits, personal protective equipment and vaccines, etc.).
Read the rest of the story as it appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican.