The achievements of the global scientific community in battling coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been unprecedented, impressive, and inadequate Unprecedented and impressive because this previously unknown virus was sequenced within one month of its appearance (1) and because safe and efficacious vaccines to counter it were developed within the year Impressive also because, though they were imperfect, drugs and therapeutic interventions were developed to reduce morbidity and mortality and non-pharmaceutical interventions (lockdowns, distancing, masks (2), and other measures) were implemented to retard the spread of the virus The People’s Republic of China and the United States of America were leaders in all these efforts China has particular cause for pride in its remarkably effective control of an exceptionally challenging pandemic (3) and in its efforts to help other countries by exporting its vaccines and medical supplies Clearly though, even herculean efforts have not protected the global community By even conservative reckonings more than two million people have died from COVID-19 The global pandemic continues Present mutations (4–5) are likely to expand contagion and present risks to the effectiveness of our medical and non-pharmaceutical countermeasures Economic damage, already immense, is expanding and likely to be long-lasting for many The area where we have most underperformed is political The United States and China — the two countries with the most resources and deepest pools of technical talent — have the greatest responsibilities in this respect This is true not just about what has occurred, but also about what will occur as this pandemic continues and as it is succeeded by other pandemics
Countering COVID-19 in 2021 and Beyond: More Cooperation is Required Between the Governments of China and the USA