Critical Releases in Homeland Security: January 27, 2021

From the Executive Summary: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic is a stark wake-up call for the United States to take biological threats seriously. The virus has taken the lives of more than 400,000 Americans and cost our economy trillions of dollars in just a year. The risks of future pandemics are increasing as technological progress eases barriers to modifying pathogens, raising the specter of novel biological agents causing diseases much worse than humanity has ever faced. Meanwhile, U.S. vulnerabilities to biological attacks have never been clearer to our adversaries. However, there is a path forward. 'The Apollo Program for Biodefense' would provide the United States the opportunity to mobilize the nation and lead the world to meet these challenges: a world where we detect and continually trace any new pathogen from the source; where we can distribute rapid point-of-person tests to every household in the country within days of that detection; where effective treatments are already in-hand; where vaccine development and rollout occur in weeks rather than years; and where pandemics will never again threaten the lives and livelihoods of Americans and people around the world."

From the Executive Summary: "We can and will beat COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. America deserves a response to the COVID-19 pandemic that is driven by science, data, and public health -- not politics. Through the release of the National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness, the United States is initiating a coordinated pandemic response that not only improves the effectiveness of our fight against COVID-19, but also helps restore trust, accountability and a sense of common purpose in our response to the pandemic. [...] The National Strategy provides a roadmap to guide America out of the worst public health crisis in a century. It outlines an actionable plan across the federal government to address the COVID-19 pandemic[.]"

From the Document: "FEMA acknowledges that COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] continues to affect individuals and families throughout the United States. Cases continue to rise, and more Americans are feeling the direct and indirect effects of the pandemic in their personal and professional lives. This Initial Assessment Report is intended to help the agency learn and take improvement actions, and to reflect on the early operations. It is focused on the period from January 2020 through the end of September 2020, and FEMA's roles and responsibilities in the response operation."