COVID-19 Crisis Group releases report on lessons learned

The United States health care system was too divided, outdated and disorganized to respond efficiently to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released this week. The COVID Crisis Group, established in 2021 to map the pandemic’s landscape, delineates 10 lessons from the pandemic. The reports says “bad governance” inhibited the application of the “wondrous scientific knowledge” available to stakeholders. It notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had neither the authority nor the readiness to manage effectively a national health emergency. Preparation for the next pandemic will be critical, the group says, adding, “None of the reforms enacted thus far would have made a difference had they been in place in 2019. This report hopes to change that.” (The Hill article, 4/25/23)