‘We’re not ready’: US lags on pandemic preparedness after Covid, experts say

Wanda Kwomo is testing for Covid-19 at the First African Methodist Episcopal church on 29 January 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photograph: Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

The hantavirus outbreak, while unlikely to spark the next big pandemic, is shining a spotlight on the ways public health has deteriorated in the US: its ability to test for rare diseases, its expertise on outbreak prevention and response, its ability to battle misinformation and restore trust.

“Assuming everything goes well in containing this outbreak, which I hope it does, the takeaway from that should not be ‘we’re fine,’” said Stephanie Psaki, former White House global health security coordinator. “We’re not ready for this type of threat.”