Response Report

Executive Summary

On March 11, 2020, The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. The United States (U.S.) confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on January 11, 2020, in Washington State with a patient who had recently returned from visiting family in Wuhan, China. After this first case, COVID-19 has continued to spread across the nation and the impact can be seen in the rapidly rising number of confirmed cases and death counts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a total of 828,411 confirmed cases and 46,379 deaths as of April 22, 2020. The purpose of this report is to highlight the United States’ approach to COVID-19 across nine sectors, each playing a unique role to manage and secure the safety of population health.

This report examines the current status and challenges of addressing COVID-19 and provides recommendations for the nine sectors. Within the analysis portion, federal, state, and city government current responses are discussed and their respective collaborations with the other various sectors to meet the needs of their communities. Further investigation was conducted on the implications of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy by exploring the financing of a disease outbreak, such as COVID-19, and its effects on the healthcare industry, additional stakeholders, and consideration of alternative funding mechanisms. Evaluation of telehealth, digital technologies, and data-sharing practices was also conducted to understand the role of industry and innovation in addressing current and future pandemics. Lastly, insights for the future are provided through vaccine development and existing medications to mitigate COVID-19, payer projections, and post-pandemic coordination.

This report will provide the framework and tools necessary to maintain the optimism that collaboration, coordination, and strong leadership of all identified nine sectors are called to action with overarching recommendations to preserve American lives during these unprecedented times. Finally, as global citizens, it is our duty to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, particularly for those who are most vulnerable and already facing marginalization.

Outbreak Evolution for the Current 10 Most Affected Countries

COVID-19 Trend Analysis, as of April 2020

Source: Coronavirus Resource Center, John Hopkins University

Is the U.S. flattening their curve?

New COVID-19 Confirmed Cases, as of April 2020

Source: Coronavirus Resource Center, John Hopkins University

Overarching Cross-Sector Recommendations

Leaders across all nine sectors and at every level of government provide strong leadership, accountability, support, and transparent and timely communication to inspire confidence and reduce panic from the general public, and provide steps to reopen the economy.
Establish an accountable National Pandemic Task Force to develop relationships and coordination with the other identified eight sectors for an orderly response in equitable resource distribution, advocate for the enactment of policies, and infrastructure support for data sharing, information exchange, vaccine development and equitable distribution, and public health surveillance.
Prioritize and distribute adequate federal funding by the level of urgency and impact for emergency management federal agencies, public health agencies, city and state governments, private insurers, hospitals and health systems, businesses and industry, and individuals.

Advocate and legislate for equitable federal, state, & local policies to provide economic relief, improve population health, and expand healthcare stakeholder capacity and access to mitigate the social and economic impacts of COVID-19.

Improve federal, state, and local public health departments’ infrastructure through adequate funding and coordination to build capacity for effective program development, implementation, resource distribution, and the creation of a centralized national surveillance database to track all past, current, and present pandemic disease outbreaks.

Download the full report here.

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