I Used to Run the C.D.C. Here’s What It Can Do to Slow This Pandemic.

On Jan. 26, our country’s top public health expert on viral respiratory diseases, Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in discussing the coronavirus then ravaging China, “We need to be preparing as if this is a pandemic.” A month later, she warned, “The disruption to everyday life might be severe.” Imagine how different the world would be today if the administration had heeded these words.