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Physician and former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb asks: Has America’s COVID-19 catastrophe taught us anything?

In Uncontrolled Spread, he shows how the coronavirus and its variants were able to trounce America’s pandemic preparations, and he outlines the steps that must be taken to protect against the next outbreak. As the pandemic unfolded, Gottlieb was in regular contact with all the key players in Congress, the Trump administration, and the drug and diagnostic industries. He provides an inside account of how level after level of American government crumbled as the COVID-19 crisis advanced.

A system-wide failure across government institutions left the nation blind to the threat, and unable to mount an effective response. We’d prepared for the wrong virus. We failed to identify the contagion early enough and became overly reliant on costly and sometimes divisive tactics that couldn’t fully slow the spread. We never considered asymptomatic transmission and we assumed people would follow public health guidance. Key bureaucracies like the CDC were hidebound and outmatched. Weak political leadership aggravated these woes. We didn’t view a public health disaster as a threat to our national security.

Many of the woes sprung from the CDC, which has very little real-time reporting capability to inform us of Covid’s twists and turns or assess our defenses. The agency lacked an operational capacity and mindset to mobilize the kind of national response that was needed. To guard against future pandemic risks, we must remake the CDC and properly equip it to better confront crises. We must also get our intelligence services more engaged in the global public health mission, to gather information and uncover emerging risks before they hit our shores so we can head them off. For this role, our clandestine agencies have tools and capabilities that the CDC lacks.

Uncontrolled Spread argues we must fix our systems and prepare for a deadlier coronavirus variant, a flu pandemic, or whatever else nature -- or those wishing us harm -- may threaten us with. Gottlieb outlines policies and investments that are essential to prepare the United States and the world for future threats.

Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic by Scott Gottlieb

A Sobering Look at the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Blueprint for Preventing the Next One

In Uncontrolled Spread, Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, delivers a gripping and comprehensive account of the COVID-19 pandemic and offers a roadmap for preventing the next one. Drawing on his unique perspective as a scientist, public health leader, and policymaker, Gottlieb provides a lucid explanation of the virus, its spread, and the societal upheaval it caused.

Gottlieb argues that the United States was caught unprepared for the pandemic due to a combination of complacency, political dysfunction, and scientific hubris. He details the missteps and warning signs that were ignored, the failures of leadership and coordination, and the devastating consequences that resulted. However, Gottlieb also offers hope, outlining the lessons we can learn from this crisis and the steps we can take to be better prepared for the next pandemic.

With clarity, urgency, and a keen eye for detail, Gottlieb provides an essential guide to understanding the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing the next one. This book is a must-read for policymakers, public health professionals, and anyone interested in the future of global health.

Key Points:

• The COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call for the world, revealing the fragility of our health systems and the need for better preparedness.
• The United States was particularly hard-hit by the pandemic due to a combination of factors, including complacency, political dysfunction, and scientific hubris.
• There were many warning signs and missteps that could have been heeded to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, but they were largely ignored.
• The failures of leadership and coordination at all levels of government contributed to the magnitude of the crisis.
• We can learn from the mistakes of the COVID-19 pandemic and take steps to be better prepared for the next one.

About the Author:

Scott Gottlieb is a physician and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. He is currently a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a contributing writer for The Wall Street Journal. Gottlieb is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Medical School.