GZERO World Clips

"Stunningly infectious" COVID demands better preparation, says Former CDC director

COVID Could Still Become More Deadly, says Former CDC Director | GZERO World

Many people are done with the pandemic, but the pandemic ain't done with us yet.

Why? There's long COVID, and also we can't predict how the virus will play out in the future, former CDC chief Tom Frieden tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.

Still, he points out, the best way to "keep yourself out of the hospital and, quite frankly, out of the morgue" is to get vaxxed and boosted.

Frieden says he's stunned by how infectious COVID is compared to other diseases — and that's why those who claim they can predict what's going to happen in a few weeks don't know what they're talking about.

Watch the GZERO World episode: How depoliticizing the US health response will save lives (COVID isn't over)

More For You

A demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back towards the police during a march calling for the resignation of Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz, as the country's economic and fuel crisis worsens due to a shortage of U.S. dollars and falling domestic energy production, in La Paz, Bolivia May 18, 2026.
REUTERS/Claudia Morales

Two weeks of protests have paralyzed Bolivia's capital, La Paz, costing businesses $50 million a day amid the country's worst economic crisis in 40 years. Unions are calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, just six months into his tenure.