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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched its Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics on Tuesday. The center aims to be like the “National Weather Service for infectious diseases,” helping to guide decision-making at all levels. Data-driven weather forecasts help leaders know when to deploy resources to respond to hurricanes and individuals decide whether they need to bring an umbrella with them when they go out. Similarly, the CDC’s new disease forecasting center aims to guide decisions about broad public health needs like developing vaccines or deploying antivirals, and helping individuals decide whether it’s safe for them to go to the movie theater, Dylan George, epidemiologist and director of operations for the new center, said during a call with reporters. (McPhillips, 4/19)

"How do we actually know that we need to start using and developing vaccines? How do we know that we need to deploy different antivirals? How do we know that we need to change our personal behavior when going out to dinner or to a movie? This kind of information that we’re trying to develop in the forecast would be very much similar to that," Dr. Dylan George, the CFA’s director for operations, said in a press call. During the first omicron wave, George added, the CFA gave government leaders "several weeks of advanced notice of the timing of the surge." That influenced policies on boosters, travel restrictions, and Covid testing in schools. (Bendix, 4/19)

The center is housed at CDC. Its initial $200 million in funding came from the 2021 coronavirus relief package. The center has awarded $21 million to academic institutions to develop modeling and forecasting methods. (Johnson, 4/19)