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Last week’s Pandemic Preparedness Consultations for Disease This highlights important gaps in efforts.
An independent review of New York state’s COVID-19 response was expected to be completed late last year, but its release date remains unclear, hampering discussions on pandemic policy.
Some Republican lawmakers criticized Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for not submitting a COVID-19 after-action report by a one-year deadline in November. New York City is spending $4.3 million in taxpayer money on an investigation by outside consulting firm The Olson Group.
At the same time, medical leaders and emergency management officials announced sweeping pandemic response plans as the global understanding of infectious disease risks evolved.
But key state policies aimed at protecting the most vulnerable New Yorkers, such as minimum standards for nursing home staffing, have repeatedly failed in the face of industry pushback and national labor shortages. I’ve been stumbling.
What is disease X?
Disease X does not exist, at least not yet.
Rather, according to the World Health Organization, the theoretical term “represents the knowledge that serious international epidemics can be caused by pathogens not currently known to cause disease in humans.” “X” stands for “unexpected,” but that’s not what it means.Leaders are not interested in ensuring the world is prepared if a deadly virus strikes.
Illness X: What you need to know about the hypothetical pandemic that world leaders hope to stop
At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last week, world leaders discussed disease Interest was reignited.
How is New York improving its pandemic preparedness?
In March, New York State released an updated version of its state emergency plan, the Pandemic Annex, which addresses the legal, political, and logistical aspects of emergency management efforts.
The 65-page document includes comprehensive guidelines for dealing with infectious diseases, from rapid responses to outbreaks in other countries to New York authorities culling certain species of animals that could transmit the virus to humans. Contains instructions.
Protect vulnerabilities: A judge dismisses a lawsuit challenging New York’s nursing home staffing law. Will forced enforcement be next?
Many of the tactics deployed to contain the coronavirus remain in the state’s pandemic strategy, from travel bans and stockpiling medical supplies to closing businesses and schools. There are also guidelines related to everything from setting up overflow areas to treat sick people, such as the Navy hospital ship that arrived in New York City, to imposing mask mandates and “microcluster” restrictions.
However, many of these policies have not been independently reviewed for their effectiveness, raising concerns about conflicts of interest in the decision to keep them in the emergency plan. In other words, the latest pandemic plan argues, in part, that state officials and elected officials involved in the COVID-19 response made the right decision.
State Sen. James Tedisco (R-Saratoga Springs) said officials urgently need an independent review report “to ensure New York State is prepared for future health crises that could come at any time.” He claimed he needed it.
“Pandemics do not follow political timelines,” he added in a statement this month. His bill, which would create a state commission to study how New York’s response to the coronavirus has affected nursing home deaths, is also being debated in Albany.
USA TODAY’s Eric Lagatta contributed to this report.
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