The federal government has always played an important role in mediating public health long before the Covid-19 pandemic affected the United States. The federal government has learned to enhance its emergency preparedness efforts from the 9/11 experiences and the historic devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. According to Bergquist et al., the majority of existing federal and state policies became much more efficient in terms of reducing harm, expanding available treatments, and focusing on decreasing the prescribing rates.1 Thus, the current agenda employed by the federal government addresses the Covid-19 pandemic in an extensive manner and increases its international capacity to generate quicker responses to the pandemic in the future. This is why the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was one of the most important players in the field of policymaking lately.
The US federal government recognizes the importance of global efforts and comes up with solutions that can be expected to mitigate most public health threats. In line with Gostin et al., the regulations released by CDC represent one of the biggest incentives for actions to prevent an interstate spread of the coronavirus infection.2 The two roles played by the federal government are (1) the detection of and response to outbreaks and (2) the maintenance of preparedness efforts through supply management of pharmacological or medical equipment. This is one of the main reasons why the US federal government keeps investing in public health even during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Footnotes
- Bergquist, Savannah, et al. “COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States.” Health Policy and Technology, vol. 9, no. 4, 2020, p. 624.
- Gostin, Lawrence O. et al. “Presidential Powers and Response to COVID-19.” JAMA, vol. 323, no. 16, 2020, p. 1547.