COVID-19: Pandemic Lessons Highlight Need for Public Health Situational Awareness Network

Since 2006, federal laws have required the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a real-time electronic network that would improve the nation’s situational awareness during a public health emergency. This network was meant to be used to facilitate early detection of and rapid response to potentially catastrophic infectious disease outbreaks—such as COVID-19.

However, this network is still not operational 15 years later.

We recommended that HHS prioritize the development of this network—to include designating a lead office for implementing it and clearly defining roles and responsibilities.

Types of Entities That Are to Share Information to Support Nationwide Public Health Situational Awareness

What GAO Found

Since 2006, multiple federal laws...