Resolve to Save Lives

Statement from Dr. Tom Frieden on the death of 200,000 Americans from COVID-19

Every one of the 200,000 Americans killed by COVID-19 is a tragedy, and most of these deaths did not have to happen.

Prevent Epidemics September 22, 2020

Statement from Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO, Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, on the death of 200,000 Americans from COVID-19:

“Every one of the 200,000 Americans killed by COVID-19 is a tragedy, and most of these deaths did not have to happen. The future is in our hands. We can save lives and accelerate economic recovery by putting science and public health at the center of our response. As the global death toll passes one million, this also means collaborating to improve public health systems worldwide.

“There is no fairy tale ending to this pandemic—not even a vaccine. By chipping away at it with fewer crowded indoor spaces, the 3W’s of Wear a mask, Watch your distance, and Wash your hands, the Box-It-In approach of strategic testing, rapid isolation, complete contact tracing, and supportive quarantine, we can save lives and restore livelihoods. If there is a silver lining to this pandemic, it is the possibility that we will recognize that we’re all in this together. By working together, we can overcome the virus.”

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About Tom Frieden

Dr. Tom Frieden, an infectious disease physician, was director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2009 to 2017 during the H1N1, Ebola, and Zika emergencies. He is President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives (an initiative of Vital Strategies) and Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Twitter: @DrTomFrieden, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes every person should be protected by a strong public health system. We work with governments and civil society in 73 countries to design and implement evidence-based strategies that tackle their most pressing public health problems. Our goal is to see governments adopt promising interventions at scale as rapidly as possible. To find out more, please visit www.vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat.

About Resolve to Save Lives

Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of the global health organization Vital Strategies, focuses on preventing deaths from cardiovascular disease and preventing epidemics. Resolve to Save Lives is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gates Philanthropy Partners, which is funded with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation. Resolve received additional funding for the COVID-19 response from these donors and CDC Foundation and Stavros Niarchos Foundation. It is led by Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To find out more, visit: https://www.resolvetosavelives.org or Twitter @ResolveTSL and @DrTomFrieden.

Media Contact:

Christina Honeysett, Vital Strategies: choneysett@vitalstrategies.org; +1.914.424.3356

Erin Sykes, Resolve to Save Lives: esykes@resolvetosavelives.org; +1.646.612.0001