The Pandemic Is Over, So We Need Congress to Act

Andy tackles the pressing need for more COVID funding with two guests who are fighting to make it happen: outgoing White House Coronavirus Coordinator Jeff Zients and former COVID Transition Team member Dr. Zeke Emanuel. What will happen if the U.S. can't afford to pay for a fourth round of vaccines? And what is holding Congress up? Zeke and Andy also discuss the plan Zeke is spearheading for the next phase of the pandemic, and Andy puts Zeke through a lightning round where he asks him about variant-specific vaccines, the potential return of mask mandates, how best to use oral antivirals like Paxlovid, and much more.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. 

Follow Zeke @ZekeEmanuel on Twitter.

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Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

• Read the letter by Dr. Zeke Emanuel, signed by Andy and other health experts, calling for Congress to fund the U.S. COVID response: http://www.ezekielemanuel.com/academic-policy/all-academic-writing/2022/03/18/statement-urging-congress-to-extend-funding-for-covid-response
• Learn about the plan that Dr. Emanuel and other experts made for how America can live with COVID: https://www.covidroadmap.org/
• Check out the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan: https://www.whitehouse.gov/covidplan/
• Listen to the episode with Senator Tim Kaine: https://lemonadamedia.com/podcast/inside-the-three-russian-nuclear-threats-with-senator-tim-kaine/
• Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
• Find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/ 
• Order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165 

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For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

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