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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense Meeting to Help Inform Refresh of Landmark National Blueprint for Biodefense

"We have no choice now but to prepare while continuing to respond to, recover from, and mitigate COVID-19 and the other pandemics affecting our Nation."

The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense will look toward the future to further explore preparedness needs and efforts, along with new solutions to improve biosurveillance and data modernization, when it hosts its next public meeting in Washington, D.C. Titled, Informing Blueprint 2.0: Please Look Up!, the meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 21, and will inform the Commission’s refresh of its landmark National Blueprint for Biodefense, which the Commission will issue later this year.

The meeting will feature remarks by Dawn O’Connell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Jennifer Layden, Acting Director for the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others. To register, and for a detailed agenda, please visit the events page on the Commission website, www.biodefensecommission.org/events/.

“Taking inspiration from the movie, Don’t Look Up, a satire that illustrated what plays out when a scientific fact is denied and then highly politicized – a metaphor many would say about pandemics – we have titled this meeting, more hopefully, as Please, Look Up!,” said Commission Co-Chair, former Senator Joe Lieberman. “Mask mandates, travel restrictions, and social distancing have ended or are ending. We have all experienced pandemic fatigue and want to move on. However, in moving on, we must not forget. Therefore, the Commission is undertaking a refresh of our seminal National Blueprint for Biodefense – an essential next step in updating our plan on how to defend against any type of biological threat.”

Sen. Lieberman noted that this meeting will be the third the Commission is undertaking to inform its refresh of the National Blueprint for Biodefense.

“Our Commission has been sounding the alarm about the dangers of biological threats for the past nine years,” said Commission Co-Chair, Tom Ridge. “As a Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security, I know how just how much of a difference early warning, good data, and preparedness can make. We have no choice now but to prepare while continuing to respond to, recover from, and mitigate COVID-19 and the other pandemics affecting our Nation. Improving upon current biodefense policy is a national security imperative.”

The meeting will begin at 10:45am ET at 600 14th St. NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC.

Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense Meeting to Help Inform Refresh of Landmark National Blueprint for Biodefense Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Today
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.
Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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