What Ashish Jha learned in the White House

Also: Everything you need to know about the new COVID vaccines [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  September 19, 2023 Hi CommonHealth reader, Before he became one of the country's most recognizable COVID experts, Dr. Ashish Jha was a go-to source for reporters like me on a range of topics, from health care quality to physician burnout. Jha, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, recently finished a stint in the Biden administration as the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator. With fall around the corner, I reached out to him to talk about the state of COVID, flu and RSV — and the role that vaccines could play in reducing illness. For the first time this year, vaccines are available to protect against all three of these viruses. I also asked Jha about his time in the White House. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation, edited and condensed for clarity: Priyanka Dayal McCluskey: How are you thinking about the fall and winter months ahead — both the threats we're facing, and the tools that we have to manage them? AJ: Fall respiratory season is always bad in the sense that a lot of people get infected, a lot of people end up getting seriously ill and dying. Before COVID arrived, in a typical fall and winter season, probably fifty, sixty thousand Americans died every year. With the addition of COVID — even though COVID is in a much, much better place than where it was — we are probably at a point where more than a hundred thousand Americans are going to die each fall and winter for a long period of time, unless we do something about it. The good news is we now have three highly effective vaccines that can prevent a large chunk of those deaths. So when I think about the fall ahead, I'm really looking at a period where there could be a lot of serious illness, a lot of suffering — but so much of it is preventable. PDM: So how significant is the new COVID vaccine? AJ: I think it's a game-changer in a couple of ways. Every year, we formulate a new flu vaccine based on circulating flu strains. We're now into a period when we're doing essentially the same thing with COVID vaccines: we're looking at the circulating strains. And the data so far suggests that the new COVID vaccine should be very effective against the circulating strains. We're getting into a new cadence now where we're going to have annual COVID vaccines, and it becomes in that way very much like flu — very manageable. PDM: What do you miss most about working at the White House? AJ: I will tell you, I am thrilled to be back at home. So I don't know that I'm missing a lot. Obviously, it's an extraordinary place to work. Huge privilege. I was very, very happy to be there, but I went in there with a very specific set of goals, and I feel like we hit those goals. And I was happy to thank the president for the opportunity to serve, and leave. PDM: Is there something from that experience that you're bringing back to your work in public health and academia? AJ: Absolutely. The biggest thing in my mind is a reminder of what a big and diverse and complicated country we have. And that in order to move policy, you've got to be able to reach out and engage with people with very different perspectives. There are a lot of people who purport to be in public health who are very purist in their thinking about what the right thing to do is. And you realize, that is a formula for accomplishing nothing. So part of what I want to try to teach students is: How do you actually move the needle? How do you actually make progress in a country where people have different values? How do you build a coalition of people who don't have to agree on every single issue — but agree enough to really advance public health? [Read the rest of Jha’s comments here]( — and stay tuned for more coverage on COVID and respiratory virus season in the coming days. P.S.— We’re excited to tell you about a big project our colleagues have been working on: [WBUR’s Field Guide To Boston](. Whether you’re a native or a newbie, this collection of guides will help you find all sorts of hidden gems, hotspots and things that make this city special. Be sure to check it out. Priyanka Dayal McCluskey Senior Health Reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [The new COVID boosters are coming: Here's what you need to know]( Updated versions of the mRNA vaccines roll out this week. Experts say they offer good protection against current COVID variants. Who should get them, and when's the best time to roll up your sleeve? [Read more.]( [The new COVID boosters are coming: Here's what you need to know]( Updated versions of the mRNA vaccines roll out this week. Experts say they offer good protection against current COVID variants. Who should get them, and when's the best time to roll up your sleeve? [Read more.]( ['We started getting just planes of people': Logan Airport team scrambles to help newly arrived migrants]( Each night, workers at Logan Airport provide cots for travelers with canceled flights. Lately, they’re also providing temporary beds for immigrants seeking refuge in Massachusetts. Some of these immigrants used to seek help in hospital ERs. Since July 11, Logan’s Crisis Response Team has assisted over 1,600 new arrivals. [Read more.]( ['We started getting just planes of people': Logan Airport team scrambles to help newly arrived migrants]( Each night, workers at Logan Airport provide cots for travelers with canceled flights. Lately, they’re also providing temporary beds for immigrants seeking refuge in Massachusetts. Some of these immigrants used to seek help in hospital ERs. Since July 11, Logan’s Crisis Response Team has assisted over 1,600 new arrivals. [Read more.]( [Dana-Farber partners with Beth Israel to announce plans for new cancer hospital]( The new collaboration centers on a push by Dana-Farber to offer inpatient treatment in a space of its own, as opposed to its current practice of sending patients to neighboring Brigham and Women's. It also marks a break in the longstanding partnership between Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women's. [Read more.]( [Dana-Farber partners with Beth Israel to announce plans for new cancer hospital]( The new collaboration centers on a push by Dana-Farber to offer inpatient treatment in a space of its own, as opposed to its current practice of sending patients to neighboring Brigham and Women's. It also marks a break in the longstanding partnership between Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women's. [Read more.]( [Women fight abortion bans in 3 more states with legal actions]( Patients and doctors in Tennessee, Idaho and Oklahoma are taking legal action against state abortion bans. Women told dramatic stories of dangerous pregnancies and delayed care. [Read more.]( [Women fight abortion bans in 3 more states with legal actions]( Patients and doctors in Tennessee, Idaho and Oklahoma are taking legal action against state abortion bans. Women told dramatic stories of dangerous pregnancies and delayed care. [Read more.]( [These habits can cut the risk of depression in half, a new study finds]( New evidence shows that people who maintain a range of healthy habits, from good sleep to physical activity to strong social connections, are significantly less likely to experience depression. [Read more.]( [These habits can cut the risk of depression in half, a new study finds]( New evidence shows that people who maintain a range of healthy habits, from good sleep to physical activity to strong social connections, are significantly less likely to experience depression. [Read more.]( What We're Reading 📚 - Why Has a Useless Cold Medication Been Allowed on Shelves for Years? ([The Atlantic]( - The CDC wants your trust back: It’ll ‘take time to rebuild.’ ([Politico]( - In China, a Completely Different Approach to Lowering Healthcare Costs ([The Wall Street Journal]( "There's every reason to expect that people will make decent antibodies against the variants that we know about right now." — Deepta Bhattacharya, of the University of Arizona College of Medicine, on the effectiveness of the [new COVID vaccines]( ICYMI [Medical debt nearly pushed this family into homelessness. Millions more are at risk]( Saddled with debt from health care, many Americans are forced into painful tradeoffs. And some are losing their homes. [Read more.]( [Medical debt nearly pushed this family into homelessness. Millions more are at risk]( Saddled with debt from health care, many Americans are forced into painful tradeoffs. And some are losing their homes. [Read more.]( 🧠💥 Did you know...💥🧠 ...Australia has [declared war on feral cats]( Government officials say the felines are carrying diseases and kill more than 1.5 billion native animals each year. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.