Constructing on classes discovered from SARS-CoV-2, pandemic preparedness has taken on renewed urgency
The COVID pandemic is certainly not over. Regardless of plunging case numbers within the U.S. as of this writing, many international locations on this planet are nonetheless experiencing peak an infection charges. And it’s not possible to foresee how the SARSCoV- 2 saga will unfold within the coming months or years. Since 2020 on this nation (and others), laborious truths about our poor health-care system, rampant societal inequality and flawed policy-making engine, to call a couple of, have crystallized—painfully in some instances.
On the similar time, vaccine know-how, spurred by the profitable deployment of mRNA pictures, has catapulted progress on remedies for a slew of different infectious illnesses from malaria to most cancers (as author Mike Might detailed final 12 months). And medicines for COVID itself are below such intense analysis and improvement, that a number of highly effective treatments are presently obtainable, with extra within the pipeline (see “These Are the Latest COVID Treatments”). Such developments are solely a part of a brand new arsenal of methods for confronting a future challenged by COVID and some other virus that may come up (see “Preparing for the Next Plague”). It’s too flip to name this progress a silver lining within the midst of a lot toil and grief. However it’s a important win.
This text was initially revealed with the title “Arduous-Gained Pandemic Features” in SA Well being & Drugs 4, 2, (April 2022)
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