Federal Pandemic Response

This chapter outlines my personal perspectives and the documented actions of the US Federal government in shaping and guiding the US COVID-19 pandemic response as the virus spread and evolved, from identification/characterization in early January 2020 to its evolution to endemic status today. The Federal government undertook a series of actions to support the response of the nation’s states, localities, and territories, informed by the World Health Organization (WHO), global pandemic incidence, prevalence, morbidity and mortality, experiences and scientific discoveries reported by states, localities, and territories of the USA and by other nations around the globe; and US and international scientific, academic, business, news networks/outlets (professional) and social media communities at large. Broadly speaking, the US government provided initial, expanded, and ongoing support to Federal programs, US states, localities, and territories, and international countries for COVID-19 response in two critical ways: (1) by providing funding to Federal government, states, localities, and territories to fill gaps in capability and effect a consistent and equitable response to the health and economic impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic; and (2) by issuing US Regulatory, Scientific, and Policy Guidelines for states, localities, territories, and individuals to mitigate the spread, reduce preventable deaths, and improve the nation’s capability to effectively respond to the emerging and changing COVID-19 virus and its primary, secondary, and tertiary impacts on its citizens, businesses, critical supply chains, and economy. Many of the challenges that arose in the 2019 pandemic could have been prevented or avoided had states and the Federal government addressed (and funded) long-known and well-documented gaps in capability, capacity, and integration of the nation’s healthcare delivery and public health policies, systems, and infrastructures.