At least a year until a vaccine is ready, but no guarantee

Dr Tom Frieden is former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former commissioner of the New York City Health Department. He is currently president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a global nonprofit working on preventing epidemics and cardiovascular diseases. On March 10, he wrote about the worst case scenario in Covid-19—it could kill up to 10 lakh people in the US. In an exclusive interview to THE WEEK, Frieden discussed how little experts know about the virus, the uncertainty of drug treatments and vaccines and how vulnerable the world is to such epidemics.

- NAMITA KOHLI

Dr Tom Frieden, former director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States.

Q/ How would you rate the world’s response to the coronavirus outbreak?

A/ Most of the world is not prepared for epidemics. Although some countries have made strong efforts to improve preparedness, many countries lack the critical systems to find, stop and prevent epidemics, allowing Covid-19 to spread. But even the best-prepared countries will have large challenges with this unprecedented event. Singapore stands out for excellent management. It is too soon to say how things will go in the United States, but the risk of widespread transmission is high.

Q/ In what way is this epidemic different from previous outbreaks?