After seven months, Coronavirus cases continue to surge across the United States. The New York Times reports that 26 states are at or near record numbers for new infections, and that hospitals are recording an estimated 46 percent increase in patients hospitalized from the virus over last month. And while the escalating case numbers have not resulted in lockdowns or curfews in the U.S., European countries are introducing new restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. In France, President Macron has reimposed a nationwide lockdown, while Germany will close bars, restaurants, movie theaters, sports facilities and more through the end of November. Health policy has never been at the forefront like it is now, at least in our lifetimes. The Johns Hopkins University has introduced the Health Policy Forum, a quarterly series of discussions designed to bring Johns Hopkins faculty, students, and experts together with policy makers to explore how health policies are developed and implemented. In this episode, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Dean Ellen MacKenzie joins Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for the first installment of the Johns Hopkins University’s Health Policy forum. The webcast originally aired on October 16. The audio is adapted from Public Health on Call, a daily podcast from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dean MacKenzie and Dr. Fauci discuss how public health measures can be the gateway to opening the economy, how the COVID-19 vaccine could change the state of coronavirus response, and how the scientific community can gain trust among the general public. You can access a recording of Dean MacKenzie and Dr. Fauci’s complete conversation at https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/10/16/anthony-fauci-national-covid-response-health-policy/.