To Fight Pandemics, We Need Better Data

The United States has had many problems coping with the coronavirus. A critical — and underappreciated — problem is bad data: Without good data, planners can’t plan, epidemiologists can’t model, policy makers can’t make policy, and citizens don’t trust what they’re told. The U.S. needs a robust program, with professional management of the data supply chain, to develop trustworthy data about pandemics and other public health crises.