Part 4/16:
Christakis recounts how he and his colleagues began studying the pandemic early in January using phone data to understand social interactions and mobility in China. He vividly describes observing China's "social nuclear weapon"—the January 24 lockdown in Wuhan affecting nearly a billion people—and how this clear data spurred his concern that the virus would become a global threat.
He emphasizes that "by the end of January, we knew this was going to be a serious pandemic," advocating for rapid preparedness measures like testing, protective equipment (PPE), and clear public messaging. The disbandment of prior pandemic response teams is criticized as a failure of institutional memory, with Christakis questioning why, despite decades of warnings, the U.S. was not better prepared.