Freakonomics, M.D.

8. A Playbook for Beating the Next Pandemic

Sep 24, 2021
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ANECDOTE

Early Alarm

  • Scott Gottlieb became alarmed about COVID-19 during Martin Luther King Day weekend in 2020.
  • China's reported cases quadrupled overnight, suggesting a much larger hidden outbreak.
INSIGHT

Lack of Coordination

  • Lack of initial coordination between agencies like the FDA and CDC hampered the early COVID-19 response.
  • This lack of coordination wasn't addressed until Operation Warp Speed.
INSIGHT

Testing Disparity

  • South Korea and the US detected their first COVID-19 cases on the same day, but South Korea scaled testing much faster.
  • By mid-March 2020, South Korea had tested over 250,000 people, while the US had tested fewer than 60,000.
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