A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) comments on the "ineffectual and fragmented" US COVID-19 pandemic responses thus far and recommends eight steps to manage the ongoing crisis amid variant fatigue, inflation, and supply chain disruptions.CSIS, a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization based in Washington, DC, said it issued the recommendations to secure US global leadership in the next phase of the pandemic response.Among the steps recommended in the "2022 is the year of decision" report are to launch a US international pandemic readiness project and to appoint a presidential global health security envoy.Managing the pandemic crisis and preparing responses to future threats will not be easy, owing to widespread exhaustion, depleted workforces, and a healthcare system on the brink, the report authors said.
The world was still battling the Delta (B1617.2) variant when Omicron (B.1.1.529) swept in."Omicron's apparent reduced severity may induce complacency that could in turn fuel further mass infection," they wrote. "Too many people are simply unwilling to accept vaccines."Focusing on responses to future crisesThe report authors commented on persistent global COVID-19 vaccine, testing, and treatment inequities. "As the wealthiest and most powerful countries advance boosters and the vaccination of children, low- and middle-income countries face a 3 billion dose vaccine gap in 2022, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)," they wrote."Inequities create vulnerabilities for all, including Americans who are fully vaccinated and boosted and young children who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated."The authors noted that Operation Warp Speed, the program that supported