Endemic: A Post-Pandemic Playbook

A manifesto and action plan for future pandemics

Endemic squarely reckons with our present condition: attempting to comprehend and live with a new respiratory disease and face the coming variants and next pandemic with reason, science, understanding, courage, and compassion. It does not shy from rigorous scrutiny, and it pulls no punches about where we have been, where we find ourselves now, and how we ought to manage the virus in the coming years. "Endemic" refers to the features of a virus that make it either eradicable or controllable. SARS-CoV-2's features make it non-eradicable. However, if we use tools we already have, living with an endemic virus is possible and does not have to be disruptive to society.
This book is a clarion call for reason while also assessing the story, science, and politics thus far with its hits and misses, and providing a roadmap for the future of COVID-19 variants and future epidemic crises. Dr. Gandhi's 10-point plan is the center of this book and will serve to guide us today and into our future. Her roadmap includes:

• The expansion of equitable vaccine distribution
• Easing restrictions
• Emphasizing harm reduction over coercive or punitive measures
• Encouraging outdoor activities
• Avoiding school closures
• Understanding the long-term economic and psychological consequences of sustained lockdowns
• Eliminating ineffective measures
• Reassessing testing policies and practices
• Increasing access to outpatient therapies and prophylactics
• Focusing on better preparation for future pandemics

Dr. Gandhi brings her unique blend of professional history, training and experience, academic authority, and role as expert commentator for general audiences to bear. Endemic is well-researched, clearly reasoned, accessible, and absolutely essential for readers who are confused by inconsistent mandates and policies--and who want to be prepared for the future.