(VOVWORLD) - The White House has announced its intentions to launch a multi billion dollar plan dedicated to stopping potential biological threats once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
 A mobile COVID-19 testing site in New York, US, August 31, 2021. (Photo: THX/VNA) |
Speaking to reporters last weekend, Eric Lander, President Joe Biden’s scientific adviser and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the “fundamental problems” of the US public health system, including insufficient funding and a lack of close coordination between federal, state, and local governments.
The US is still dealing with the worst COVID-19 outbreak in the world, with more than 39 million infections and more than 660,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Many recovered patients are still living with the long-term effects of this disease.
According to the plan, the White House is expected to spend 15 billion USD on an epidemic prevention program from the budget package being submitted to Congress this year.
In the long term, the US government will spend more than 65 billion USD for the program lasting 7-10 years.
The first goal is to improve vaccines and treatments as well as public health infrastructure; at the same time improve real-time monitoring and upgrade protective equipment to be able to fight a variety of pathogens.