Factal
Several weeks before the US set all-time case records, attendees of the Global Security Briefing knew they should prepare for an unusual tsunami of omicron cases.
Over three sessions of the free online briefing in early and mid- December, attendees learned that the omicron variant would likely set all-time case records, employers should have plans in place for large numbers of staff that get sick, rapid tests would become scarce, protocols would likely change, and the first batches of cases would surface from organizations – like sports teams – that conduct regular proactive testing.
Held by Factal and Emergent Risk International (ERI), the Global Security Briefing began in March 2020 after the emergence of COVID in the US. Since then it’s become the most popular virtual event of its kind for security, crisis and resilience professionals at the world’s largest organizations. Held every two weeks, the hour-long briefing examines the latest COVID data and developments, supply chain impacts, security threats, economic trends and geopolitical developments.
The event is free to attend and available both live and on demand (register here).
“Have a plan in place for what happens when there’s a big chunk of your workforce that co-locates all come down with [omicron] at the same time. What’s your backup plan? What’s your protocol?” said briefing co-host and Factal co-founder Cory Bergman on Dec. 9th.
“Regardless of the strength of the new variant, [supply chain] disruptions are probably going to go on for a period of months because of the delayed reaction,” said co-host and Emergent Risk International CEO Meredith Wilson in the Dec. 2nd briefing, referencing new COVID restrictions in China.
The briefing draws from Factal’s verified coverage and ERI expert analysis with a heavy focus on the numbers. With the emergence of each new variant, epidemiologists and computational biologists have become increasingly adept at modeling the virus’ behavior especially as it migrates from country to country. Early analysis and studies from South Africa and the UK made it clear what was coming.
“The US will soon experience a massive spike in cases,” Bergman said on Dec. 16th, citing several models and the UK’s precipitous rise in infections. “This is a mathematical certainty, unfortunately.”
(See the schedule of upcoming briefings and register to attend here.)