Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Biden's Covid 19 Challenge
Biden's Covid 19 Challenge
COVID-19
CHALLENGE
How will he get the U.S. pandemic
response back on track?
BY JAMIE DUCHARME
AND ALICE PARK
That’s a “nightmare scenario,” says Dr. How- gram, and we’re falling behind. We’re not doing what
ard Koh, a professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School we need to do to create strong vaccination programs.”
of Public Health and former Assistant Secretary The CDC is working with state and local health
for Health and Human Services during the Obama departments, but those officials around the country
43
say much is confusing and still in flux. The 64 public- scientists,” says Koh. Seeing scientific experts share
health jurisdictions, made up mostly of state health what they know and don’t know, and explain why
departments that the CDC is funding for the vac- they are recommending certain policies and advice,
cine program, submitted proposals in August for would go a long way toward alleviating the anxiety
how many doses they would need and how those caused by current conflicting messages. “The real
would be allocated. The CDC reviewed those plans power that a President has is the bully pulpit,” says
and returned them at the end of October. But there Dr. Eric Toner, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins
are still uncertainties. For example, says Kris Ehres- Center for Health Security. “They should really have
mann, director of infectious-disease epidemiology a communication campaign that looks like a political
at the Minnesota Department of Health, the federal campaign. They should be flooding social media and
government says it will distribute vaccines to both the airwaves with public-health messages.” He also
the state health department and to groups such as suggests relying on trusted scientific figures—as well
the Indian Health Service, and it’s not clear which as celebrities, religious leaders and other community
tribal groups will be receiving doses through the In- figures people trust—to do it. When it comes to the
dian Health Service and which will be the responsi- vaccines, that might include having Biden and Har-
bility of the state. ris get immunized—in public view—to demonstrate
One thing that has aided states in their planning both their trust in the scientific process and their be-
so far is the fact that, by and large, scientists involved lief in the importance of the vaccines in controlling
in the vaccine program—both in the government and the pandemic. “Our leaders would set a good exam-
at pharmaceutical manufacturers—have united in an ple by getting vaccinated,” says Ehresmann. “They
unprecedented show of support for established sci- should be the first in line to give people the confi-
entific criteria for evaluating vaccine candidates. But dence that the vaccine is safe to take.”
EL ECTION 2020
it won’t be easy for the Biden Administration to per- Before the election, the Biden campaign outlined
suade the public to get vaccinated. “I’ve heard from seven pillars of its COVID-19 response, including
people all over the country who say expanding access to testing and per-
they won’t get ‘the Trump vaccine.’ sonal protective equipment, invest-
But it should not be ‘the Biden vac- ‘IT SHOULD NOT ing $25 billion in vaccine distribu-
cine,’ either,” says Frieden. “The point BE “THE BIDEN tion, encouraging universal masking,
is that it’s the COVID vaccine—it’s not
a political vaccine.”
VACCINE,” EITHER.’ and protecting vulnerable groups like
the elderly and people of color. But it
Vaccine researchers, includ- —Tom Frieden, former CDC director didn’t provide the details needed to
ing leading government scientists, reassure state health officials who are
maintain that the speed hasn’t involved shortcuts in now preparing to order and distribute doses of vac-
the science, but instead reflects, in part, improved cines. “They should focus on the basics of communi-
technology behind some of the vaccines, as well as cation during an emergency,” says Frieden. “Be first,
more efficient review of data given the urgency of be right, and be credible. Tell what you know, tell
the pandemic. “The Biden Administration can re- what you don’t know, and tell what you are going
lieve much of the public’s anxiety about the speed to find out. Don’t overpromise . . . If you do those
of development by making it clear that they are not things, you can trust people to do the right thing.”
going to sacrifice safety for speed,” says Dr. Kelly That includes helping people trust the science be-
Moore, associate director for immunization educa- hind vaccines and understand that an inoculation
tion at the Immunization Action Coalition. alone won’t make them completely immune. No vac-
cine is 100% effective, and whatever protection vac-
THE BEST WAY to accomplish that would be to give cines may provide, people should continue to wear
scientists back their voice on the pandemic stage. masks, maintain social distancing and avoid crowded
Research shows people widely trust scientists and indoor gatherings until health officials determine the
public-health groups—even after the beating they’ve virus is under control.
taken this year. In August, researchers from the In their plan, Biden and Harris promise to “lis-
COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Pub- ten to science” and to “restore trust, transparency,
lic’s Policy Preferences Across States asked more common purpose and accountability to our govern-
than 21,000 U.S. adults which people or institutions ment”—but here, too, experts say the plan doesn’t
they trust to handle the COVID-19 crisis. The top go into enough depth about how that trust will be
answers, in order, were doctors and hospitals; sci- won. After months of misinformation and partisan
entists and researchers; the CDC; and Fauci. These interference in public health, communication may be
should be the voices the Biden Administration calls Biden’s biggest challenge. And the stakes are high:
upon to communicate with the public, experts say. those will be critical promises to keep if we have any
“There should be a briefing at least several times a hope of containing a virus that doesn’t respect na-
week if not every day until the crisis is over, led by top tional borders or political parties.
© TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be duplicated or
disseminated without permission.