Infectious disease expert, Dr. Michael T. Osterholm briefs Collective[i] Forecast community on COVID-19: "We're at the most dangerous moment in public health history since 1918."

NEW YORK, Nov. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Collective[i] Forecast, November 19, 2020 featured world-renowned public health expert, Michael T. Osterholm, PhD and explored the topic "Defeating our Deadliest Enemy: The Path to Ending the Pandemic." Dr. Osterholm is the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and is regarded as an expert on the topics of epidemiology and infectious diseases.

Collective[i]® provides AI/ML and a network of crowdsourced insights to businesses for the purposes of forecasting and optimizing revenue produced by their sales teams. In this virtual briefing for Collective[i] clients and community members, Dr. Osterholm discussed the evolving reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what to expect as we enter 2021. Dr. Osterholm answered questions from business leaders, industry influencers and journalists about a range of topics from reopening businesses to the various vaccines expected to be distributed in the coming months. Dr. Osterholm also shared details about the Frontline Families Fund, a newly launched fund to provide economic and educational support for families and children of essential medical workers who have died as a result of exposure to COVID-19.

Takeaways from the session:

    --  Dr. Osterholm advised against traveling for Thanksgiving as well as
        large holiday gatherings. He urged attendees to host virtual
        celebrations instead. "There are so many creative things you can
        do...I'm going to spend the day calling a whole lot of people in my life
        that I should have thanked a long time ago for what they've done for
        me," he said.
    --  Though many are experiencing what he refers to as "pandemic fatigue,"
        Dr. Osterholm warned that "we're at the most dangerous moment in public
        health history since 1918." Using a sports analogy that referenced the
        innings of a baseball game, he estimated that we are in the "bottom of
        the third, top of the fourth," suggesting that the virus is far from
        over.
    --  America is currently in need of a cohesive, national strategy to tackle
        the virus. Crucial discussions need to start taking place at a federal
        level in order to establish a clear, unified response across the
        country.
    --  Dr. Osterholm cited Australia as an example, highlighting how the
        country offered citizens and businesses an initiative to stay home by
        paying them to quarantine. In advocating for shutting down bars and
        restaurants, he stated that "we as a country owe them to cover costs
        that they have for being closed down."
    --  Dr. Osterholm is hopeful regarding the success of vaccines. He said that
        Pfizer's vaccine will likely be approved first, followed by Moderna's.
        He predicts that we will have adequate supplies to vaccinate the entire
        country by the end of the second or third quarter of 2021.
    --  When addressing the potential impact that the pandemic will have on
        society, Dr. Osterholm stated that the pandemic was "compounded by the
        George Floyd incident...but has opened up the whole racial disparities
        issue." Referencing the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has had on
        BIPOC populations, he continued to say that "if nothing else, it gives
        us another lens to look at that problem."
    --  Looking ahead, Dr. Osterholm stated that "the silver lining will be
        going back and studying [the pandemic]," particularly its effect on
        "human relations" and whether they were "frayed or enhanced" during this
        time.

For more information about the Frontline Families Fund, visit https://frontlinefamiliesfund.org/. Members of the press interested in attending a future Collective[i] Forecast should contact Amy Small for more information.

About Collective[i] Forecast: Collective[i] Forecast is a series of live, virtual events, that features the world's preeminent leaders and innovators sharing their knowledge about the innovation that is disrupting and transforming how we work and live. Hosted by Collective[i] co-Founder and Chairperson, Heidi Messer, Collective[i] Forecast brings together a diverse group of attendees across all sectors and roles, including senior business executives, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, advisors, journalists, as well as Collective[i] clients and partners, with the goal to fuel curiosity and inspire our community to more broadly imagine what is possible.

About Collective[i]: Collective[i] is a recognized leader in AI-enabled digital sales transformation. Collective[i]'s applications and network employ AI/ML to offer the on demand intelligence that is essential to modern sales organizations. Collective[i] improves CRM data quality, provides daily forecasts, pipeline intelligence, dealrooms and other analyses and collaboration tools that boost productivity and grow revenue. Collective[i] also hosts Connectors(TM), the first social network designed to help sales leaders and their companies leverage valuable professional connections to improve and accelerate the buying experience. Collective[i]'s application and network augment traditional CRM with AI, surfacing every advantage a modern sales organization needs to win.

Collective[i] is a private company headquartered in NYC, with satellite offices in Silicon Valley and Montreal. For more information, visit www.collectivei.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Contact
Amy Small - Director, Communications
asmall@collectivei.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/infectious-disease-expert-dr-michael-t-osterholm-briefs-collectivei-forecast-community-on-covid-19-were-at-the-most-dangerous-moment-in-public-health-history-since-1918-301179292.html

SOURCE Collective[i]