In a report published by the American Enterprise Institute, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb proposes a road map for navigating COVID-19 in the United States.
Gottlieb’s report identifies four phases and the related actions which need to be taken by those overseeing America’s public health strategy to bring the spread of COVID-19 under control and to transition slowly to next steps leading to reopening the country.
Gottlieb co-authored the report with the following public health experts: Mark McClellan, MD, PhD; Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH; Lauren Silvis, JD; and Crystal Watson, DrPH, MPH.
Read the full report here.
The authors outline the following four phases:
Phase I: Slow the Spread – Break off the chain of epidemic transmission
Measures like social distancing will need to be in place nationally until transmission has slowed down and health infrastructure can be scaled up to safely manage the outbreak.
Phase II: Reopen, State by State – Gradually shift to a focus on individual cases versus entire populations
States can move to phase II when they are able to safely diagnose, treat, and isolate COVID-19 cases and their contact
Self-distancing measures will still need to be in place to prevent transmission from accelerating again (such as increased distancing in lines, elevators, and indoor spaces).
Deep cleaning (sanitizing) of shared spaces should become routine.
Initially the public will be asked to limit their gatherings, and people will initially be asked to wear face masks while in the community in order to reduce their risk of asymptomatic spread
Phase III: Establish Protection Then Lift All Restrictions- Effective therapeutics, widespread screening and surveillance, and a vaccine
Physical distancing restrictions and other Phase II measures can be lifted only when we have available to us safe and effective technology for mitigating the risk of COVID-19.
This technology includes: broad based surveillance, therapeutics that can rescue patients with significant disease, or prevent serious illness in those most at risk, and/or a safe and effective vaccine
Phase IV: Rebuild Our Readiness for the Next Pandemic
We must build the tools and systems to ensure that we are never again unprepared to face a new infectious disease threat as soon as we successfully defeat COVID-19.
Preparedness for public health emergencies should be elevated as a function in the White House, with a coordinating function equivalent to the Director of National Intelligence
