Times of strife can lead to medical innovation—when governments are willing
Bernard Tobey, a double amputee, and his son, wearing Union sailor uniforms, standing beside a small wagon displaying Secretary of War Edwin Stanton’s dispatch on the fall of Fort Fisher. (Fetter's New Photograph Gallery/Library of Congress/)Jeffrey Clemens is an associate professor of economics at the University of California San Diego. This story originally featured on The Conversation.The current COVID-19 pandemic, the largest public health crisis in a century, threatens the health of people across the globe. The U.S. has had the most diagnosed cases—surpassing 6 million—and more than 180,000 deaths.But six months into the pandemic, the US still faces shortages of personal protective equipment for both front-line medical workers and the general public. There is also great need for widely available inexpensive, rapid tests; the infrastructure to administer them; and most importantly, safe, effective vaccines.Moving forward, medical innovation can play a substantial role in controlling and preventing infection—and treating those...