This pandemic won’t end without strong federal support
Researchers who study public health and disaster preparedness say that having a national task force focused on pandemic response is important, but how it’s run and managed is key. (Pixabay/)The White House’s Coronavirus Task Force has headlined the news since last week. After initially saying the unit would be dissolved, President Trump tweeted on Wednesday that the task force would instead “continue indefinitely,” although its focus will shift to reopening the country. Researchers who study public health and disaster preparedness say that having a national task force focused on pandemic response is important, but how it’s run and managed is key. “The criteria should be that they are experts in their field, and that those fields are relevant to how we move forward in this pandemic,” says Amesh Adalja, a professor at the John Hopkins University Center for Health Security. Physicians and health experts should play a significant role, he...