March 1, 2022– Multiple patient advocate groups and infectious disease non-profits including the Allergy & Asthma Network, Alliance for Aging Research, CancerCare, CARLDEN Inc, The COSHAR Healthy Communities Foundation, Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, HealthyWomen, NTM Info & Research, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease, Peggy Lillis Foundation for C. diff Education & Advocacy, Sepsis Alliance, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), The Stuart B. Levy Center for Integrated Management of Antimicrobial Resistance at Tufts (Levy CIMAR) have joined together to call on the White House to shift its COVID-19 strategy to protect some of the most vulnerable communities alongside the general public.

To bring COVID-19 under control and prevent future pandemics, they are urging the administration to take multiple steps outlined in the letter.

“We are living in an age of pandemics, from the West Nile virus outbreak over 32 years ago to COVID-19, we are averaging a novel viral outbreak or epidemic every four years. Combined with increasingly antimicrobial resistant bacteria and fungi, these new viruses are a growing threat to the health of everyone, but especially the elderly, disabled, immuno-compromised and the poor. Now is the time to invest in surveillance, tracking, public education, infection prevention and treatment,” said Christian John Lillis, Executive Director of the Peggy Lillis Foundation.

“As someone that has been affected by an infectious disease that is not nationally notifiable, I’ve experienced the side effects of delayed treatments, lack of investments in treatments and more. Awareness, efforts for prevention, and more are just some of the steps the Administration can take to curb the continued direction of COVID-19,” said Elmira Utz, Advocate and C.Diff Survivor.

“Patients with chronic lung infections and chronic lung disease are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and life-threatening complications. Investing in the much-needed tools to help manage and contain COVID-19 and other future epidemics is key to helping these and other vulnerable patient populations,” Amy Leitman, JD, President of NTMInfo.

To read the full letter from these patient advocate groups and infectious disease non-profits working to protect the at-risk persons across the U.S. please visit click here: Letter to the White House.