Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology (DHS S&T) Directorate is using research experiences from previous disease outbreaks to inform COVID-19 response. S&T tackles COVID-19 with lessons learned from the Ebola virus, anthrax bacteria and other issues that have caused disease outbreaks, DHS said Thursday.
The Hazard Awareness and Characterization Technology Center (HACiTC) handles the technical aspects of S&T's Probabilistic Analysis for National Threats Hazards and Risks or PANTHR program.
Lloyd Hough, head of HAC-TC, said his team learned how to address knowledge gaps on diseases and identify research priorities, from past experiences. He also emphasized the importance of risk assessments.
“S&T’s risk assessment activities, conducted through the PANTHR program, consider the risk posed by a variety of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents that could potentially be used by terrorists to harm the U.S.,” Hough said.
HAC-TC also supports DHS laboratories including the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center. NBACC continuous to monitor outbreaks occurring across the globe, and learn more about coronavirus.