Challenges and opportunities
Many challenges present in the process of getting prepared for a potential outbreak. Personal protective equipment such as N-95 masks are in short supply, as they are in high demand in the general public.16 The CDC currently does not recommend that members of the general public use face masks, given low levels of circulation of SARS-CoV-2 currently in the United States. The CDC has developed several documents regarding infection control, hospital preparedness assessments, personal protective equipment (PPE) supply planning, clinical evaluation and management, and respirator conservation strategies.
Sathya Areti
The RT-PCR test developed by the CDC has had some setbacks, with recent testing kits showing “inconclusive results.” The testing was initially available only through the CDC lab in Atlanta, with a 48-hour turnaround. This led to potential delays in diagnosis and the timely isolation and treatment of infected patients. On March 3, the CDC broadened the guidelines for coronavirus testing, allowing clinicians to order a test for any patients who have symptoms of COVID-19 infection. The greatest need is for decentralized testing in local and state labs, as well as validated testing in local hospitals and commercial labs. The ability to develop and scale-up diagnostic abilities is critically important.
There is also concern about overwhelming hospitals with a strain on the availability of beds, ventilators, and airborne isolation rooms. The CDC is recommending leveraging telehealth tools to direct people to the right level of health care for their medical needs. Hospitalization should only be for the sickest patients.17
Funding for a pandemic response is of paramount importance. Proposed 2021 federal budget cuts include $2.9 billion in cuts to the National Institutes of Health, and $708 million in cuts to the CDC, which makes the situation look especially worrisome as we face a potentially severe pandemic. The Infectious Diseases Society of America identifies antimicrobial resistance, NIH research, global health security, global HIV epidemic, and CDC vaccine programs as five “deeply underfunded” areas in the federal budget.18
The NIH has recently begun the first randomized clinical trial, treating patients at the University of Nebraska with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 with a broad-spectrum antiviral drug called remdesivir. Patients from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship are also participating in this clinical trial. This study will hopefully shed light on potential treatments for coronavirus to stop or alleviate the consequences in real time. Similar clinical trials are also occurring in China.19
Vaccine development is underway in many public and private research facilities, but it will take approximately 6-18 months before they will be available for use. In the absence of a vaccine or therapeutic, community mitigation measures are the primary method to respond to the widespread transmission, and supportive care is the current medical treatment. In the case of a pandemic, the mitigation measures might include school dismissals and social distancing in other settings, like suspension of mass gatherings, telework and remote-meeting options in workplaces.
Many respected medical journals in the United States have made access to SARS-CoV-2 articles and literature readily and freely available, which is a remarkable step. Multiple societies and journals have made information available in real time and have used media effectively (e.g., podcasts, e-learning) to disseminate information to the general public. Articles have been made available in other languages, including Chinese.