by the STC team
Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Source
Surely our readers have been encircled by news of the rapidly expanding COVID-19 outbreak. Ordinarily, at STC we do not cover current events. But these being extraordinary times, we decided to present a few thoughts on the need for preparedness in the face of this pandemic.
We were greatly inspired by the communication work that Rich Lenski has been doing regarding this important subject and we urge our reader to follow his blog.
We take the liberty of repeating here a 2007 quote from Michael O. Leavitt, who was then the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"Everything we do before a pandemic will seem alarmist. Everything we do after a pandemic will seem inadequate. This is the dilemma we face, but it should not stop us from doing what we can to prepare. We need to reach out to everyone with words that inform, but not inflame. We need to encourage everyone to prepare, but not panic." — Michael O. Leavitt, 2007
We urge all of our readers to prepare. Regardless of whether you work in labs or elsewhere, or in the context of courses you teach or take, you should discuss matters of preparedness and develop health plans to follow in the coming months. To this end, we think you will find the Lenski Lab Health Plan for the New Coronavirus Outbreak a useful template to develop a plan tailored to your particular environment.
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