GZERO World Clips

"We need to invest in public health," says former CDC director, lessons that "we better learn"

| GZERO Media

If we've learned anything from COVID, former CDC chief Tom Frieden says it's that we need to invest a lot more in public health.

"We need a renaissance in our public health system. We need a robust primary care system. And we need resilient populations," he tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.

Without good primary care, we can't get detect outbreaks, diagnose, treat, or vaccinate properly. Resilient populations means those that can withstand the shock of a pandemic because, for instance, chronic diseases are under control.

Trust is also an issue — and that's why Frieden wants the CDC to stay in Atlanta, far away from the White House.

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

More For You

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025.
REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

China has defied Western sanctions for years and buys as much as 90% of Iran’s oil exports.

Ukraine's Minister of Defence Mykhailo Fedorov speaks at a joint press conference with his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 1, 2026.
REUTERS/Alina Smutko

Critics have said that Zelensky – now in his seventh year in office – has been in power for too long.