Americans want feds to be ready for next pandemic: Politico

Customers are seen at the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles, California, the United States, July 29, 2022. (Xinhua)

The "collective resolve" in Washington, D.C., to prepare for the next pandemic -- palpable just a year ago during the height of the Omicron wave -- has diminished, says Tom Inglesby.

NEW YORK, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Three years into the pandemic, getting COVID-19 might no longer be front of mind for most Americans, but that doesn't mean they want Washington, D.C., to forget it could happen again, reported Politico on Monday.

"Roughly two-thirds of respondents in a YouGov poll released this morning, commissioned by the Pandemic Action Network and PAX Sapiens, said they believe the threat of future deadly pandemics is growing," said the report. Nearly 90 percent said they want the federal government to prioritize preparing for the next pandemic in its annual budget and planning.

About one-third of respondents thought the government is as prepared for the next pandemic as it was for this one, while about half thought the government was more prepared, according to the report.

However, Tom Inglesby, director for the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, wrote in The New York Times on Sunday that the "collective resolve" in Washington, D.C., to prepare for the next pandemic -- palpable just a year ago during the height of the Omicron wave -- has diminished, said the report.

The report also noted that U.S. President Joe Biden's budget proposal unveiled last week includes 20 billion U.S. dollars for the federal government's pandemic prevention and preparedness efforts, along with other investments in research and vaccine purchases, therapeutics and tests for the country's stockpiles.