The Biden administration will invest $7.4 billion to recruit and hire public health workers to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future public health challenges, the White House announced Thursday. The funding includes $4.4 billion to expand public health staffing for the Covid-19 response and support vaccination outreach, contact tracing and outbreak investigations. It will also invest $3 billion to prepare for future pandemics and create a new program to modernize the public health workforce. The federal health agency will use the funds to expand existing public health laboratory fellowship programs for laboratory science graduates and also implement a new public health internship program to allow undergraduate students to gain experience in public health laboratory settings. Key public health leaders, including former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden, have said that it is imperative the US and other nations invest in public health infrastructure.

Source: CNN May 13, 2021 05:34 UTC