Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda Michael Osterholm: Can We Stop The Big One?
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Sep 9, 2025 
Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, shares crucial insights on pandemic preparedness drawn from his extensive expertise. He discusses lessons from COVID-19, emphasizing the need for transparent communication and the integrity of vaccine information. Osterholm advocates for a strengthened CDC role in public health amidst rising misinformation. With urgency, he calls for effective strategies to communicate science, ensuring society is better equipped for future outbreaks and resilient against misinformation.
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Country Is Unprepared For Future Pandemics
- Michael Osterholm warns the U.S. is unprepared and faces high human cost if public health is weakened.
- He urges recognition that policy choices now will determine lives lost in future pandemics.
A More Deadly Coronavirus Could Emerge
- Osterholm describes a plausible 'big one': a highly infectious coronavirus with SARS/MERS-level lethality.
- He calls recent bat coronavirus findings a real harbinger, not science fiction.
Keep Funding Rapid Vaccine Platforms
- Preserve mRNA vaccine research because it enables the fastest vaccine development in a pandemic.
- Use mRNA as a rapid-response tool while seeking even better vaccines.
