Uncontrolled Spread

Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic

By: Scott Gottlieb

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Uncontrolled Spread is everything you’d hope: a smart and insightful account of what happened and, currently, the best guide to what needs to be done to avoid a future pandemic."" —Wall Street Journal

“Informative and well paced.”—The Guardian

“An intense ride through the pandemic with chilling details of what really happened. It is also sprinkled with notes of true wisdom that may help all of us better prepare for the future.”—Sanjay Gupta, MD, chief medical correspondent, CNN

Physician and former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb asks: Has America’s COVID-19 catastrophe taught us anything?

In Uncontrolled Spread, he shows how the coronavirus and its variants were able to trounce America’s pandemic preparations, and he outlines the steps that must be taken to protect against the next outbreak. As the pandemic unfolded, Gottlieb was in regular contact with all the key players in Congress, the Trump administration, and the drug and diagnostic industries. He provides an inside account of how level after level of American government crumbled as the COVID-19 crisis advanced.

A system-wide failure across government institutions left the nation blind to the threat, and unable to mount an effective response. We’d prepared for the wrong virus. We failed to identify the contagion early enough and became overly reliant on costly and sometimes divisive tactics that couldn’t fully slow the spread. We never considered asymptomatic transmission and we assumed people would follow public health guidance. Key bureaucracies like the CDC were hidebound and outmatched. Weak political leadership aggravated these woes. We didn’t view a public health disaster as a threat to our national security.

Many of the woes sprung from the CDC, which has very little real-time reporting capability to inform us of Covid’s twists and turns or assess our defenses. The agency lacked an operational capacity and mindset to mobilize the kind of national response that was needed. To guard against future pandemic risks, we must remake the CDC and properly equip it to better confront crises. We must also get our intelligence services more engaged in the global public health mission, to gather information and uncover emerging risks before they hit our shores so we can head them off. For this role, our clandestine agencies have tools and capabilities that the CDC lacks.

Uncontrolled Spread argues we must fix our systems and prepare for a deadlier coronavirus variant, a flu pandemic, or whatever else nature -- or those wishing us harm -- may threaten us with. Gottlieb outlines policies and investments that are essential to prepare the United States and the world for future threats.

A must read... CDC is incompetent and corrupt

For an agency that is charged with public health recommendations, the CDC has been REPEATEDLY incompetent and corrupt at every crisis. This is a must read... also read Robert Kennedy's "The Real Dr. Anthony Fauci"

Excellent book from a calm, centrist expert

A good look into the major government and science issues of the pandemic. It is an accessible overview from an expert who, it seems to me, has consistently tried to convey a calm, reasoned public health message outside of the hyper political froth of what passes for public discourse these days.

Very good read

I followed Dr. Gottlieb after his very interesting daily updates on CNBC. I used his input to help make decisions regarding my business and couldn't wait to read the book. It's sad to read that various Governmental Organizations behaved so badly and without a common purpose, but not surprising. I wonder if one day we can change this or if it's just the normal human condition. I highly recommend this book

Very informative

Hope someone in a position to effect change will read this and actually create a plan for responding to the next chrisis.

Excellent

This was an excellent look back on the causes effects and management of Covid 19.
The responses of Trump administration. The lack of Global compassion is a sad testimony to our times.