This portal is ambitious, but weak.
The ambition[edit | edit source]
Aerosol pandemics have stimulated the development of a number of tools. Some are pharmaceutical: mainly vaccines, treatments. Others are not pharmaceutical but are highly technological and beyond the reach of individuals and communities: waste-water surveillance, tests, contact tracing, etc. There are other "technologies" that haven't been developed much or at all: how do we reduce the number of respiratory contacts while meeting our vital and important needs?
This portal aims to map those technologies and provide links for each. Then, set ambitious goals to develop each; for masks, say, could they be cheap, manufactured everywhere, recyclable - and of course provide great fit, breathability, comfort, etc? Then, there's the challenge of combining them; this probably requires a review of the basic science, with enough granularity - e.g., how does ventilation with ceiling fans work?
Ideally, this would provide a map for development, and then for selection of tools for scenarios (pandemic severity and stage, resources, and other conditions such as pandemic fatigue).
How to gather strength[edit | edit source]
The above is a "map" for the world, that could or even should be done by the WHO or some other institution with enough muscle. As it is, the initiator of this portal is not aware of anyone doing this, though surely there must be very useful reviews.
It's an effort worth a PhD, but we may not have time.
So, how are we going to do this? That's an open question.
