ICYMI, Americans are worried about pandemic preparedness, show two recent polls from the Pandemic Action Network and BIO and Healthcare Ready.
The numbers don’t lie: 61% of Pandemic Action Network respondents said pandemics have become more likely, while BIO’s poll found 95% want the federal government to prepare for potential public health emergencies.
We should learn from COVID-19: 92% of BIO-Healthcare Ready respondents favor incorporating lessons from the COVID pandemic to prepare for the next one. Pandemic Action Network found 45% believe the U.S. government was “very unprepared” for COVID-19, and only 49% believe we are more prepared for the next pandemic.
More government spending: 88% of Pandemic Action Network respondents want pandemic investment by the federal government, while BIO found 71% want increased federal preparedness funding.
And they’ll vote on it: 77% are more likely to back a candidate who supports this funding, found the BIO-Healthcare Ready poll.
What we can do about it: “Congress has an immediate opportunity to get ahead of these crises—and safeguard American interests in the process—as lawmakers review the President’s requested public health preparedness budget and work to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA),” said BIO’s Phyllis Arthur.
Governors back PAHPA:In a letter to Senate HELP Committee Chair Bernie Sanders on Monday, the National Governor’s Association expressed support for PAHPA and offered feedback on the bill.
More Health News:
The New York Times: FDA plans to allow a second updated COVID booster for vulnerable Americans
“The Food and Drug Administration plans to allow older and immunocompromised Americans to get a second updated coronavirus booster shot in the near future, an acknowledgment of the virus’s continuing risks to vulnerable people whose immunity might be sagging months after a previous inoculation.”
