An ad hoc committee under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will examine the preparedness for and response to prior influenza pandemics and COVID-19 for lessons learned on the efficacy and implementation of non-vaccine public health interventions and countermeasures for implications for future influenza events. The study will focus on the tasks below to produce a report with recommendations for best practices for implementing public health measures, diagnostics, and therapeutics to mitigate the spread and effects of influenza both before and after vaccines are available.
1) Analyze the evidence of effectiveness of key non-vaccine measures (e.g., masks, indoor air quality, and ventilation) developed across disciplines, and novel or existing diagnostic tools that can be adapted and optimized to mitigate respiratory infections such as, but not limited to, seasonal and pandemic influenza. The evidence should be underpinned by the biology and epidemiology of specific disease outbreaks;
2) Explore the social and political context (e.g., societal inequities, stakeholder trust, and communication) underlying the effective implementation and optimization of priority public health measures and diagnostics to identify best practices for future pandemic influenza preparedness and response;
3) Review promising COVID-19 therapeutic approaches (e.g., antivirals, monoclonal antibodies, and host-directed responses) with demonstrated effectiveness in particular to highlight critical opportunities to utilize therapeutics for seasonal and pandemic influenza;
4) Highlight innovations around the world during COVID-19, as well as other seasonal and pandemic influenza events, particularly related to surveillance and rapid, transparent data sharing, that can lead to best practice recommendations for notification, contact tracing, and testing efforts, including the use of digital technology and data science;
5) Analyze prominent research agendas, existing research initiatives, and knowledge gaps identified from the response to COVID-19 and other outbreaks to outline priority actions for future research efforts related to seasonal and pandemic influenza. These priority areas may include evidence and knowledge generation for strengthening surveillance systems, the effectiveness and implementation of priority health measures, or diagnostic tools for influenza viruses, such as sequencing and testing.