N.J. releases independent review of COVID response – WHYY

Emergency plans are no good if they are on the shelf and forgotten

The New Jersey Department of Health created a Pandemic Influenza Plan in 2015, which the report stated was extremely accurate in predicting what would eventually happen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It included specific recommendations about actions that could be taken; organizational structures for emergency management; and detailed factual, legal, and regulatory resources that could be consulted, the report found.

Yet, no one knew the plan existed when the pandemic hit.

Several people in government told us they thought some other agency ought to have an Emergency Preparedness Manager, the report stated. In fact, that position exists (and is staffed) in the other agency, but the people we spoke with were unaware of that fact.

According to the report, communities were polarized over the decision to mask, socially distance or get vaccinated.

The decision[s][were] freighted with political overtones, the report found. Lives were lost to the misinformation both deliberate and unintentional which surrounded the pandemic.

Masking was discouraged in the early days of the pandemic in favor of surface cleaning. Officials did not know that COVID-19 could be transmitted through the air at the time.

Even if state officials were aware of that fact, the report found the states stockpile of facemasks and other personal protective equipment was insufficient and that global supply chain breakdowns prevented quick acquisition of additional supplies.

While New Jersey had a small stockpile of old masks left over from a prior health crisis, these were expired, the report stated. As a result, many who should have had access to multiple masks per day were required to improvise and either re-use masks meaning that the masks themselves could be carrying the virus into a new environment or go without.

The report suggests that had mask supplies been adequate, the state could have emerged from lockdowns and closures sooner.

New Jersey could have re-opened many indoor locations sooner with universal masking, it stated. The State could also have allowed public use of outdoor recreation sooner, assuming that there was an adequate supply of masks and people opted to use them.

Despite the findings, New Jersey is credited for implementing measures such as mask mandates and social distancing guidelines that resulted in dramatic improvements over the course of the pandemic.

By the Delta and Omicron Wave, New Jersey became one of the states with the lowest death rates, the report stated.

Regardless, the report also recognized the other negative consequences in addition to the lives lost.

Shutdowns had disastrous effects on business and commerce, it said. School closures not only led to lost learning for students, but huge burdens on families with school-age children whose parents had to figure out how to keep their children happy, healthy, and learning.

Among the recommendations, the report calls on state officials to create emergency plans and train on them, invest in improving health equity in the state, and build partnerships with community organizations, the health care industry, local health departments, and beyond.

The report also recommends improving collaboration and communication during an emergency response and investing in technology to support a response.

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N.J. releases independent review of COVID response - WHYY