“First, we need a consistent nationwide approach to shutting down … Second, the federal government needs to step up on testing … Finally, we need a data-based approach to developing treatments and a vaccine … We can start now by building the facilities where these vaccines will be made. Because many of the top candidates are made using unique equipment, we’ll have to build facilities for each of them, knowing that some won’t get used.” Bill Gates in WaPo: Bill Gates: Here’s how to make up for lost time on covid-19.

+ Leaders should have listened to Bill Gates over the years when he warned a pandemic was the world’s greatest threat. Here’s a talk from 2015: The next outbreak? We’re not ready. “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war. Not missiles, but microbes. Now, part of the reason for this is that we’ve invested a huge amount in nuclear deterrents. But we’ve actually invested very little in a system to stop an epidemic. We’re not ready for the next epidemic.” (Somehow, I don’t think anyone wants to step up to the mic to share an opposing view…)