Andy Slavitt on the Pandemic Endgame: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

On March 16, 2020, the leaders of the Bay Area announced a regional stay-at-home order that transformed life for millions in the Bay Area. At the time, it was one of the largest and most visible public actions taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Other regions soon followed. Exactly one year later, the Bay Area, California and United States are finally emerging from a public health crisis that has led to over 500,00 deaths and transformed life throughout the country. With vaccine supply increasing, the end of the pandemic is finally in sight.

Andy Slavitt, the new White House senior advisor on COVID-19, has been at the center of the fight against the pandemic since early 2020. Last year, he informally advised leading Republicans as well as Democrats across the country on effective strategies against COVOD-19. Early on, Slavitt teamed with former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb to propose a $46.5 billion plan for COVID-19 contact tracing and isolation and was lead author of an early open letter entitled “Stay Home, Save Lives” signed by 16 top Republican and Democratic figures. His impact and influence was felt by millions of people across the county.

Today, Slavitt is helping lead the new Biden administration's COVID-19 response efforts. As new variants of the virus continue to spread across the United States and some states reopen as the drop in cases plateaus, the Biden administration is working to increase the production and delivery of vaccines, create new places for people to get vaccinated, and address vaccine hesitancy in diverse communities. Slavitt is at the center of all these discussions.

Please join us for a discussion with one of the country’s savviest health professionals as we reflect on what we have learned over the past year and what it will take to finally return life to normal in the Bay Area, California and the United States as a whole.