New Interactive Tracker to Provide Real-Time Updates on Federal Biodefense Actions
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
NEW INTERACTIVE TRACKER TO PROVIDE REAL-TIME UPDATES ON FEDERAL BIODEFENSE ACTIONS |
|
Visit https://biodefensecommission.org/recommendation-status to interact and provide feedback |
|
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 15, 2021) – In an effort to better track action taken by the federal government to strengthen the Nation’s defense against biological threats, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense today launched its new interactive recommendations tracker. Found on the Commission’s website, https://biodefensecommission.org/recommendation-status, the tracker comes on the heels of a new Commission analysis called Biodefense in Crisis, which found the United States remains at catastrophic biological risk. The Commission is urging the Administration and Congress to take further action now to avoid another pandemic or biological attack. The report and tracker closely examine the extent of progress that has been made since the Commission released its seminal National Blueprint for Biodefense in 2015. “This new and interactive tracker will build on the findings of the Commission’s Biodefense in Crisis report, include near real-time status updates, and evolve over time as the federal government continues to address our recommendations,” said Dr. Asha M. George, Commission Executive Director. “Visitors will be able to offer their own feedback and updates. We are excited about this new tracker and encourage anyone who works in or studies these issues to use it often.” 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 new recommendations based in-part on real-time learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
|
About the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense was established in 2014 to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the state of U.S. biodefense efforts, and to issue recommendations to foster change. The Commission’s 2015 report, A National Blueprint for Biodefense: Leadership and Major Reform Needed to Optimize Efforts, identified capability gaps and recommended changes to U.S. policy and law to strengthen national biodefense while optimizing resource investments. Subsequent Commission publications have addressed critical needs for agrodefense, biodefense budgeting, diagnostics, science and technology, and State, Local, Tribal and Territorial response capabilities. In September 2018, the White House released the National Biodefense Strategy, a top recommendation from the Blueprint. The Commission continues to address biodefense challenges and to urge reform. Former Senator Joe Lieberman and former Governor Tom Ridge co-chair the Commission. Hudson Institute is the Commission’s fiscal sponsor. |