Dr. Stephanie Psaki, US Global Health Security Coordinator, joins host Javier Guzman to discuss the changes made across the US government since the pandemic, her priorities as Coordinator, and US ambitions for the pandemic agreement negotiations in the run-up to the World Health Assembly later this month.
Host Javier Guzman launches Season 2 with reflections on global progress on preparedness since the pandemic, then speaks with H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya of Africa CDC about how Africa CDC is translating lessons from COVID-19 into stronger, more resilient systems.
When we launched Pandemic Proof, many countries were still in the throes of the health and economic shocks of COVID-19. Lessons learned from the pandemic were still fresh. And the visibility and urgency of the pandemic catalyzed some important policy action, including the establishment of innovative financing mechanisms like the Pandemic Fund, which issued its first cycle of grants last year. Against this backdrop, we spoke with experts across the field during season 1 of the podcast to explore priority policy proposals and monitor implementation of efforts to strengthen global capacity for pandemic preparedness and response.
The investment case for bolstering global systems for pandemic preparedness and response is clear. Yet, COVID-19 exposed gaping holes in our collective ability to respond to pandemic threats. And even after more than 6.9 million deaths from COVID-19 and trillions in economic losses, financing and policy arrangements for preparedness remain insufficient. Policymakers still need to reckon with the lessons learned during recent outbreaks to ensure stronger systems going forward.
Over three years since it emerged, is the COVID-19 pandemic over? Amanda Glassman speaks with Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, about ending the emergency phase of the pandemic. Then Javier Guzman joins to reflect on the first season of Pandemic Proof.