Miscellaneous
Mandatory masks wherever physical distancing is impossible, along with weekly tests for those lacking antibodies is one doctor's vision of a new normal. Dr. Angela Rasmussen, Virologist at Columbia University's School of Public Health and a vForbes Contributor, came on the Millennial Politics podcast this week. As an Associate Research Scientist at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University, Dr. Rasmussen studies viral pathogens like Ebola, Bird Flu, MERS, SARS, and now COVID-19. "The fastest we've ever developed a vaccine was for the Mumps, and that took four years. To say we'll develop one in a year and a half isn't impossible, but it is extremely ambitious." On this episode, Nathan and Sam ask Dr. Rasmussen about the varying methods of containment different countries are using around the world to combat COVID-19, what a cohesive national testing strategy could look like in the United States, and articulated in her opinion what the United States will need to do in order to be able to start opening back up. And despite ending on a positive note acknowledging the promising data from treatment trials of the experimental drug Remdesivir, Dr. Rasmussen poured cold water on having a vaccine ready within the next 12-18 months; saying that in order to accomplish this herculean task, vaccine researchers may need to skip phases of development that were previously standard protocol. For more information, or if you'd like to continue the conversation, Dr. Rasmussen can be found on Twitter @angie_rasmussen and Nathan Rubin can be found @NathanHRubin.