Ashish Jha, former White House Covid-19 coordinator, discusses the need for a different approach to the winter 'flu season. Topics include living with COVID, future antivirals, vaccines, and surveillance. They also talk about long COVID, investment requirements, and the US role in global health response.
To effectively manage the winter 'flu season, a different approach is needed to reduce deaths and prevent overwhelming healthcare systems.
Supporting individuals with long COVID and investing in research for new treatments are both crucial aspects to address in combating the long-term impacts of the pandemic.
Deep dives
Living with COVID and Future of Respiratory Disease Prevention
In this podcast episode, Ashish Jha, the former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator and Dean of Brown University School of Public Health, discusses living with COVID and the future of respiratory disease prevention. Jha emphasizes the need to move forward from the pandemic and learn from the lessons it has taught us. He highlights key accomplishments during his tenure, such as increasing testing availability, expanding access to treatments like Paxlovid, and establishing a strategic national stockpile. Jha also expresses regret over the politicization of vaccines and emphasizes the importance of making vaccines and treatments bipartisan. He suggests that managing respiratory infections, including flu and RSV, requires expanding testing, surveillance, and access to treatment, while reducing the burden on healthcare systems.
Addressing Long COVID and Researching Treatments
Ashish Jha discusses the two aspects of long COVID: providing support and research for those already suffering from it, and reducing the risk of developing long COVID for individuals who do not have it yet. He emphasizes the need for a supportive healthcare system and research for new treatments. Jha acknowledges the slow progress in developing treatments for long COVID and expresses the importance of continued investment in finding effective therapies. He also distinguishes between the risk of new long COVID, which is relatively low given current population immunity, and the need to provide care to those already impacted. Jha stresses the importance of separating these two issues and maintaining a balanced approach in addressing long COVID.
Antivirals and Vaccines in Managing COVID
Ashish Jha discusses the use of antiviral treatments, specifically Paxlovid, in managing COVID. He explains that while the clinical evidence for these antivirals is not overwhelming, they have a strong safety profile and can reduce the risk of severe outcomes. Jha also supports the expansion of monoclonal antibody treatments and emphasizes the importance of investing in such treatments as they can help not only with COVID but also with future viral infections. Regarding vaccines, Jha compares their use to flu vaccines, advocating for their regular administration as a way to reduce infections, lower transmission rates, and prevent long COVID. He recommends vaccinating vulnerable populations and encouraging younger individuals to stay up to date on their vaccines as an additional layer of protection against respiratory infections.
Challenges and Strategies in Global Health Leadership
Ashish Jha addresses the role of the United States in global health leadership. He highlights the positive shift in US engagement under the Biden administration, including re-engaging with the World Health Organization and supporting initiatives like COVAX. Jha stresses the need for a sustainable approach to global health, focusing on capacity building and distributed manufacturing. He calls for partnerships and a rethinking of how global health leadership operates, emphasizing the importance of addressing the needs of countries and building manufacturing capacity that can respond to current and future threats. Jha acknowledges the challenges of aligning economic interests with public health objectives but underlines the necessity of taking a holistic approach to achieve meaningful progress.
We were accepting of an increase in deaths every winter 'flu season, but Ashish Jha thinks that is not longer a tenable position.
Lessons he learned during his time as the White House Covid-19 coordinator have convinced him we should be taking a different approach to the winter season.
In this interview with Mun-Keat Looi, The BMJ's international features editor, we hear about living with COVID, the future of antivirals, vaccines, and surveillance. They talk about long COVID, the investment required to fight future outbreaks effectively, and the role of the US in the global health response.
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