Tourists are seen outside New York Stock Exchange in New York, the United States, July 29, 2020. U.S. COVID-19 deaths have surpassed the 150,000 mark to reach 150,034 as of 3:35 p.m. local time on Wednesday (1935 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
Concrete policy actions at all levels are needed to get control of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, researchers at Johns Hopkins University said in a report Wednesday.
Noting that a resurgence in US coronavirus cases "is stressing many sectors of society," the report said that unlike many countries in the world, "the United States is not currently on course to get control of this epidemic."
"It's time to reset," said the report co-written by six authors working at the university's Center for Health Security.
The scholars provided 10 policy recommendations at the federal, state, and local levels, including encouraging or mandating "nonpharmaceutical interventions" such as universal masking and social distancing, reinstituting stay-at-home orders, and bolstering test supply chains.
The "identification of a safe and effective vaccine is only the start," the report said, noting that the federal government, in collaboration with state and local governments, should plan for the production, allocation, distribution, and community engagement to ensure a successful rollout.
"Political and scientific leaders should work closely together, as they have in other countries that have successfully controlled their epidemics, both in the development of policy and also in its communication and guidance to the public," it said.