What "taking the pandemic seriously" means now

The 100-day vaccine plan has three parts: virus surveillance, vaccine research and development, and manufacturing and distribution. The first step is to build a super-team of virus hunters. “We need to know what viruses are out there, because otherwise we can’t prepare for them, or vaccinate against them,” Krammer said. Several organizations, including the CDC and the World Health Organization, already monitor influenza strains in humans and animals around the world to guide the development of seasonal flu vaccines. Krammer said we should expand that effort to surveil about 100 of the most dangerous virus types, especially those that move from human to human via the respiratory tract, because they tend to be the hardest to stop... Step two is something like Operation Warp Speed for the pandemics of the future. Once scientists have the resources to identify and track viruses with the gravest pandemic potential, a consortium of countries led by the U.S. should fund Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials around the world to test new vaccines against them. The price tag would likely run into the billions; again, a steal compared with the anguish of the past year... Step two is something like Operation Warp Speed for the pandemics of the future. Once scientists have the resources to identify and track viruses with the gravest pandemic potential, a consortium of countries led by the U.S. should fund Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials around the world to test new vaccines against them. The price tag would likely run into the billions; again, a steal compared with the anguish of the past year.