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™, 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.

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Amy Small - Director, Communications
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