Dr. Richard Besser, who was the acting director of the CDC in 2009, is now leading a multi-state coronavirus task force in New Jersey to reopen the state’s economy. He said ending social distancing is going to result in more cases of Covid-19.
“The concern I have is, I haven’t seen any state that’s laid out a plan that has the capacity to do testing, capacity to ensure that all residents regardless of income and race and neighborhood have the ability to do those things to protect themselves their families and their communities. Without those pieces in place, we’re going to see a continuation of what we’re seeing now. And that’s certain communities getting hit much harder than others. That doesn’t have to be.”
Black Americans with coronavirus are dying 2.7 times the rate than whites, according to data from the 35 states. Meanwhile, some 25% of employed Hispanic and Black people are essential workers.
“One of the critical success factors in any response is trust,” Besser said. “Trust by the American people, that what they’re being asked to do is being asked of them based on good science and in their own interests. In order to engender that trust and maintain that trust, you need open, transparent communication. And in many cases, that’s one of the things that’s lacking.”
“One of the biggest challenges in this response is that we’re not hearing from the CDC every day. Providing guidance. Letting us know what they’re doing, what they’re learning, what they’re working on, and what they think states should be doing,” Besser said.
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