Chronicle of a pandemic foretold: learning from the COVID-19 failure—before the next outbreak arrives.

Failures in high-consequence industries are apt to be highly visible.  This article examines the COVID-19 pandemic through a system failure lens. The authors highlight preparatory, policy, financial and prioritization missteps that have contributed to the spread of COVID-19 and recommend learning from this experience to enhance the safety of the health care system for future outbreaks.