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The mistake the US makes again and again is assuming public health infrastructure will magically appear when we need it. It requires investment. That investment still hasn’t been made. https://twitter.com/selenasd/status/1291672464842469376
Not only are the numbers of tracers inadequate to meet our needs (even if would could return to suppression mode), many are working for hospital systems & private contractors following protocols that aren’t designed for true epidemiological investigations/cluster busting.
And even if we had enough tracers, we don’t have enough tests. States are burning through the supplies they have & struggling to buy more. Even if Congress could pass a bill, the serious contenders fall far, far short of allocating enough funding to ramp up testing.
Our need for easy access to rapid-result testing & comprehensive, epi-led tracing isn’t going to disappear when “we have” a vaccine. Vaccines are likely to have a relatively low effectiveness rate. Vaccines won’t be enough to safely return to normalcy.
During & after a mass vax campaign, we’ll still need a well funded & coordinated test & trace strategy to safely return to normal. Patience for social distancing post-vax will be zero. Why are we still refusing to invest what’s needed to save lives now & for years to come???
These strategies—supported social distancing, test/trace/supported isolation, treatments, vaccination, masking—were never meant to be alternatives to choose among. They go together. We need to invest in all of them.
Don’t get so focused on blaming your neighbors for not abiding by restrictions that you forget to hold your elected leaders accountable for not implementing a modern, comprehensive public health response.
