Fort Worth allergist and American Medical Association (AMA) president Susan Bailey is calling on President-elect Joe Biden and his incoming administration to focus on five specific priorities as the country continues its fight against COVID-19.
In a speech delivered Tuesday via livestream through the National Press Club, Bailey said that despite the initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, "this novel coronavirus remains a very deadly foe, and we are far from the finish line."
She said the U.S. records about a million new confirmed COVID-19 cases every week, and last week, the country saw 4,000 dead in a single day, bypassing the number of Americans killed on 9/11 (nearly 3,000).
While she expressed confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccine, Bailey was also critical of the way it's been rolled out, saying "the distribution mechanisms at state and local levels have been slow, inconsistent, and severely hampered by unrealistic expectations, and a lack of coordination at the federal level."
In an effort to improve, Bailey outlined five recommendations for the Biden administration as it develops a strategy to combat COVID-19.
"I call upon the incoming Biden administration to implement a national strategy and provide states and local jurisdictions with additional resources, guidance, and support to enable rapid distribution and administration of vaccines," she said. "The AMA urges the Biden administration to talk with states to identify gaps in vaccine distribution and to work collaboratively to address areas of concern. And we call for the new administration to develop a more robust national strategy for continued COVID-19 testing and production of PPE by tapping into the full powers of the Defense Production Act."
Below is a summary of Bailey and the AMA's recommendations:
1. Prevent the spread of misinformation and "restore trust in science and science-based decision making."
"All of us share some responsibility for stopping the spread of disinformation and for creating an environment where science and evidence rule the day ... And we must insist that our government’s scientific institutions, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and others, are free from political pressure, and that their actions are guided by the best available scientific evidence."
2. Ensure that the health system provides all communities with "access to affordable and meaningful health coverage."
"In this new year, we urge the federal government to take necessary measures to protect not only lives but livelihoods at risk — measures such as a second enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act."
3. Remove health inequities that especially impact people of color.
"Heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions that have led to devastating consequences for African American, Latino, and Indigenous communities — these have also made them more susceptible to the dangers of COVID-19. The road ahead demands that our health system acknowledge these inequities and work to integrate new policies to level the playing field in all communities."
4. Improve public health domestically and globally.
This means protecting the patient-physician relationship from political influence, removing administrative burdens that can hinder response to a health emergency, and investing in public health infrastructure, Bailey said. According to Bailey, state and local public health agencies lost 40,000 jobs in the last 13 years, with the local health department workforce shrinking about one quarter.
5. Recognize the global community of health providers.
Bailey applauded the Biden administration's plan to rejoin the World Health Organization after President Donald Trump announced last year that the U.S. would withdraw from the group.
"We cannot act as if our country exists in isolation," Bailey said. "We must recognize the global community of health providers and health care institutions and lead these efforts as we are called to do. Global alliances in health care are critical in helping prevent future threats before they sweep our planet."
