5variants.(Thisis howBrazil,Denmark,SouthAfrica,andthe
U.K.identifiedimportantSARS-CoV-2variants.)Inthepres-
entpandemic,U.S.labshavebeensequencingonlyabout
3 in1,000patients.TheWHOis workingtoincreasegenetic
sequencingcapacityglobally.
Morevaccineplatforms.Asrapidlyasdrugmakerswere
abletocreateCovid-19vaccineslastyear,theycouldhave
donesofasterif novelvaccineplatformprototypes,suchas
mRNAandothers,hadalreadybeentakenthroughPhase 1
andPhase2 trialstoconfirmsafetyanddosageforcoronavi-
ruses.Morevaccine“platforms”thataregeneralizable,and
withincreasedmanufacturingcapacityacrosstheentirevalue
chain,areneededforeverysortofpotentialpandemicvirus.
Globaleffortstocreateuniversalvaccinesandtreatments
capableofprotectingagainstbroaderfamiliesofviruseswith
epidemicpotential—coronaviruses,fluviruses,andothers—
arealsoessential.
Morecoordination.Collaboration—locally,nationally,and
internationally—iscriticallyneededtotackleepidemicand
pandemicthreats.Robustclinicaltrialsthatareactionable,
coordinated,andseamlesslydesignedarecriticalforhaving
theinformationneededtobringproductsmeetingthehighest
internationalstandardsforregulatoryandpolicydecisions.
Theworldshouldgetsupplychainsreadyandprotocolsin
placefordistributingsupplies,testingpeople,gatheringrele-
vanthealthdata,anddistributingvaccines.
Morecommunityengagementandcommunication.An
“infodemic” hasaccompaniedthe Covid-19pandemic
requiring immense response to tackle mis- and disinforma-
tion around all aspects of the virus and the measures used to
stop it. Mis- and disinformation spread faster than viruses—
and can be as deadly.
More primary health care. Primary health care, the eyes
and ears of every health system, is the foundation for pre-
paring for, preventing, detecting, and responding rapidly to
emergencies of all kinds, from outbreaks of infectious dis-
eases to epidemics of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)
such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
NCDs have been a major factor in Covid-19 hospitaliza-
tions and deaths. If more nations had taken more aggressive
steps to reduce NCDs, there could have been far fewer deaths
during the pandemic. We can’t let that happen again.
There is a wide array of proven policies that local and
national governments can use to fight NCDs, including
smoke-free public places and graphic warnings on cigarette
packaging, improved food labeling and public awareness
campaigns about trans fats and sugary drinks, and bike lanes
that promote exercise and reduce air pollution by providing
an alternative to cars.
By making important investments that better prepare us
for the next pandemic, while adopting policies that will miti-
gate its impact, we can save millions of lives. This work must
not wait until the threat of Covid-19 has passed. It must begin
now. <BW> For more commentary, go to bloomberg.com/opinion
�Dr. Tedros is director-general of the WHO◼ BLOOMBERG OPINION February 8, 2021
AstheFirstWorldWarworeon,a newscourgeerupted:
aninfluenzapandemicthatleftevenmorebodiesinits
wakethantheconflictitself.Butthe 1918 pandemicwas
overshadowedbythewar,anditslessonswentunheeded.
Onehundredyearslater,theworldfacesa similartest.
WhentheCovid-19pandemiceventuallyrecedes,willwe
learnthelessonsit isteachingus?Oroncetheemergency
subsidesandlifereturnsto“normal,”willwecarryonthe
sameasbefore?
Soonerorlater,a virusmayemergeorreemergethatcould
bemoretransmissiblethantheCovid-19virus,morevirulent,
orboth.Buteffortstoidentifydangerousnewvirusesremain
limited.Thepandemicisattheforefrontofeverybody’s
attention,andit’sessentialtoharnessthatsenseoftrauma
andurgencyandstartbuildingthesystemsthatwillmakeus
readyforwhenthenextonearrives—becauseit is nota mat-
terofif,butwhen.
Asthisweek’sissueofBloombergBusinessweekdetails
(page38),therearepressingneeds,including:
Moreresearch.Scientistsmustengageina worldwide
efforttostudyvirusescirculatinginanimalsthatcould
potentiallyspilloverandinfecthumans,includingmapping
pathogenhotspotsandworkingwiththeanimalandhuman
healthsectorswitha “OneHealth”approach.AftertheWest
AfricanEbolaoutbreakfrom 2014 to2016,theWorldHealth
OrganizationpublishedtheR&DBlueprintforepidemics,
whichprioritizedcoronavirusesasoneofthepathogensthat
neededmoreresearchanddevelopment.Moreresearch,
coordinatedatthegloballevel,isstillneededurgentlyto
betterunderstandwhichcharacteristicsofpathogensmake
themepidemicthreatsandtorapidlydevelopdiagnostic
tests,therapeutics,andvaccines.
Moreglobalsurveillance.More globalsurveillancein
humansandanimals(domesticandwildlife)isneededto
rapidlydetectnewandexistingthreats.TheWHOis work-
ingwiththeFood& AgricultureOrganizationoftheUnited
NationsandtheWorldOrganizationforAnimalHealthto
improveglobalsurveillance,butinvestmentlevelsarelow
andsystemsremaininadequate.Surveillanceinanimalsand
humansneedstobeatthelocallevelwithrobustreporting
mechanismstoquicklycallattentiontoanythingunusual.
Moredomesticdata.Allcountriesneedtoenhancesurveil-
lanceofinfectiouspathogens,includinggeneticsequencing.
This allows for robust analyses that can lead to precise and
targeted use of measures to prevent the spread of disease
and makes it possible to detect mutations that lead to virusStopping the Next
PandemicStarts Now
● By Michael R. Bloomberg and
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus