News HighlightOn Pandemic Anniversary, Commission Finds U.S. Remains at Catastrophic Biological Risk
Despite warnings from public health professionals and the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, the country was caught unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. A new analysis from the Commission finds that the United States remains at catastrophic biological risk. Called Biodefense in Crisis: Immediate Action Needed to Address National Vulnerabilities, the report closely examines the extent of progress that has been made since the Commission released its seminal National Blueprint for Biodefense in 2015. Biodefense in Crisis provides a fresh assessment of governmental efforts to implement the Commission’s recommendations to prevent, deter, prepare for, detect, respond to, attribute, recover from, and mitigate biological threats. It also includes eleven updated recommendations based in-part on real-time learning during the pandemic.
More30 March, 2021
Commission Announces New Position to Lead Biodefense Policy and Research Efforts.
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense is seeking a Director of Policy and Research to develop and supervise the Commission’s biodefense policy and research agendas. The Commission, established in 2014, assesses the state of U.S. biodefense efforts and recommends changes to U.S. policy and law to strengthen national biodefense while optimizing resource investments. The Commissioners, all former high-ranking government officials, and the staff of four have conducted more than 20 public meetings and produced six reports, including the seminal A National Blueprint for Biodefense: Leadership and Major Reform Needed to Optimize Efforts. The pandemic of 2020 has shined a spotlight on the Commission’s work and this new Director of Policy and Research joins at an exciting time of high-intensity focus and rapid-growth. If you are interested, please send your resume to admin@biodefensecommission.org
At this March 2021 meeting, the Commission examined first responder needs to address biological threats. More details on this meeting can be found here.
Commission
April 2, 2021
COVID-19 Exposes Biodefense Vulnerabilities as Next Pandemic or Attack Looms
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only exposed weaknesses in America’s biodefense but stands as a reminder that “this pandemic will not be the last” as the country remains “dangerously vulnerable to biological threats” with lax implementation of longstanding recommendations to shore up prevention, detection, response, and mitigation, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense said.
April 1, 2021
Biodefense Commission warns U.S. still vulnerable to further biological threats
Even as the United States reels from a year under the thumb of COVID-19, a new analysis from the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, released this week, warns that without action, the nation remains dangerously vulnerable to another pandemic or biological threat.
April 1, 2021
Tom Ridge: Federal government is neglecting needs of America’s first responders
It is outrageous that 20 years after September 11 and the anthrax attacks of 2001, we continue to hobble our ability to respond swiftly and effectively because we still deprive first responders of the tools and information they need.
March 31, 2021
Commission Applauds President Biden for Including Significant Funding for Biodefense in New Infrastructure Plan
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense today issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s American Jobs Plan – an infrastructure program that would invest $30 billion to prevent future pandemics and protect against a range of biological threats.
March 30, 2021
On Pandemic Anniversary, Commission Finds U.S. Remains at Catastrophic Biological Risk
Despite warnings from public health professionals and the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, the country was caught unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. A new analysis from the Commission finds that the United States remains at catastrophic biological risk. Called Biodefense in Crisis: Immediate Action Needed to Address National Vulnerabilities, the report closely examines the extent of progress that has been made since the Commission released its seminal National Blueprint for Biodefense in 2015. Biodefense in Crisis provides a fresh assessment of governmental efforts to implement the Commission’s recommendations to prevent, deter, prepare for, detect, respond to, attribute, recover from, and mitigate biological threats. It also includes eleven updated recommendations based in-part on real-time learning during the pandemic.
