Open AccessCreating a Blueprint for the Future: Lessons Learned From Public Health Laboratories in the COVID-19 Response
Author(s) -
Denise M. Toney,
Michael Pentella,
Eric C. Blank,
Scott J. Becker
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of public health management and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.771
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1550-5022
pISSN - 1078-4659
DOI - 10.1097/phh.0000000000001285
Subject(s) - blueprint , pace , covid-19 , staffing , public health , pandemic , public relations , public health policy , political science , medicine , business , health policy , outbreak , engineering , nursing , virology , geography , mechanical engineering , disease , geodesy , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Public health laboratories have played a central role in the US response to COVID-19. Since the earliest days, myriad issues have impeded the laboratory community's ability to keep pace with the overwhelming demand for effective tests. In this article, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and a subset of its members examine the response to date and evaluate lessons learned from 4 main categories: testing surges, supplies, staffing, and regulations and policy. Within these categories, the authors offer recommendations intended both to improve the ongoing COVID-19 response and to strengthen planning for future outbreaks.