Uncontrolled Spread by Scott Gottlieb

UNCONTROLLED SPREAD by Scott Gottlieb describes in detail “Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic.” Currently a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and on Pfizer’s Board of Directors, Gottlieb was a commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2019 and is a frequent op-ed contributor at The Wall Street Journal. In this text, he succinctly outlines many factors (inconsistent messaging, ill-prepared bureaucracy, underfunding, etc.), that contributed to Covid’s massive impact. Acknowledging Operation Warp Speed as a “bright spot,” Gottlieb writes, “I’m convinced that if we had had a more coordinated national response and stronger surveillance at the outset, we would have had a better outcome.” As an insider, Gottlieb has perspective on the culture at the FDA and comments also on the CDC’s propensity to provide reporting that is “reflective and aims to provide definitive analysis.”  Yet, the policy-makers, clinicians, and concerned Americans needed real-time information as Gottlieb notes in a chapter titled “The Information Desert.” What an opportunity to teach critical thinking and explain how imprecise the information really was. Gottlieb writes in an accessible manner, describing complicated scientific subjects like genome tracing and the technologies involved in vaccine development.  He shares reflections on needed changes to the public health system and international cooperation. UNCONTROLLED SPREAD is a fascinating read for current and future student researchers.