For almost two years, the United States has been gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 48 million people have been infected and over 780,000 have died. Recent reports suggest the new omicron variant threatens to make matters worse.
But did it have to be so devastating?
While novel viruses are difficult to anticipate, the public health response can be well-prepared. Author Sandro Galea argues that the pandemic was a catastrophe in part because of wider social problems — from economic inequality privileging those who can work from home, to systemic racism breeding health disparities for people of color in the U.S., to a less-than-comprehensive social safety net leaving people in need.
In order to prevent another disaster during the next pandemic, which many scientists say is only a matter of time, he argues that certain inequities must be addressed.
We sit down with Galea to discuss his new book, “The Contagion Next Time,” and to learn what exactly made the U.S. unprepared for this pandemic and what he says must change for the country to be ready for the next one.
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Sandro Galea, dean and professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, author of “The Contagion Next Time”
