COVID-19 has killed nearly 200,000 Americans. How many more lives will be lost before the US makes it right?

COVID-19 has killed nearly 200,000 Americans. How many more lives will be lost before the US makes it right?

Forty-five days before the announcement of the first suspected case of what the COVID-19 would be known, the global index of the Health Security has been published. The project management initiative and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health perceived by the Nuclear Threat 195 countries on their assessment of the security capabilities to handle a major outbreak. The United States first. It ‘clear that the report was in the United States wild-spirited, to social ills for other accounts that had accumulated in the country in recent years, making the kind of ill-prepared to strike. Sometimes in the middle of September, maybe by the time you read this, the number of deaths related crown confirmed in the United States will have exceeded 200,000, far more than any other country. If early spring had sufficient resources of the US and the skills to mobilize in a coherent national effort to prepare for the virus, you might otherwise occur can things. If the height of summer, the country had on the measures (masks, social distancing rules limited indoor activities and public meetings), which explains the place first victory seemed to work doubled down, things would have been different. The tragedy is that if the solutions of science and common sense in a national, coordinated were combined, the US summer was many thousands of deaths could have been avoided. In fact, many other countries are in similar situations have been able to meet this challenge, where the United States apparently could not. Italy, for example, has had a case rate per capita similar to that of the United States in April. Traveling by swelling slowly lockdowns, the limitation at home and abroad, and his reaction of the government scientists are largely out, Italy has maintained COVID-19 almost completely under control. In the same period, the daily cases it doubled before they began to fall in late summer. Under the rich nations of the world, only the United States have an outbreak spinning out of control. Of the 10 most affected countries, the United States has the seventh highest number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants; the other nine countries in the top 10 have an average GDP per capita of $10,195, compared to $65,281 for the US Some countries like New Zealand, have even come close COVID-19 completely eradicate. Vietnam, where officials implemented a particularly intense blocking measures, a virus-related death, until 31 July, is no longer happy over time summer record anything to watch until the autumn; throughout the new season will bring more hard choices. At each level, the elected officials responsible for the lives of one or two children-Americans continue to have responsibility for millions of parents life, in order to make impossible decisions, despite the fact that their country after months of failed observation, many are now deeply suspicious, restless and confused. At this point we can begin to see why the United States has failed: a failure of leadership at many levels and parties; a distrust of scientists, the media and skills in general; and rooted cultural attitudes about individuality and the way in which we evaluate human life have combined all lead to a pandemic response horribly inadequate. COVID-19 has weakened the United States and exposed the system innovations in the country, and the gap between what it promises to its citizens this nation and what it actually offers. Although America’s problems were widespread, they start at the top. meet a comprehensive catalog of failures President Donald Trump, the pandemic will be fodder for the history books. There was wasted weeks in advance of stubbornly clinging to a fantastic belief that the virus would simply “disappear”; By testing and contact tracing programs were inadequate; States were encouraged to re-open in front of his own administration policies; and the statistics were repeated situation Cherry of the US took a look at doing a lot better than it was, while the otherwise undermines scientists said. “I wanted to play more down,” Trump told the journalist Bob Woodward, on March 19, in a conversation recently discovered. “I still like to play it down, because I want to create any panic.” common sense solutions, such masks were undercut or ignored. Research shows that a face cover contribute significantly reduces the spread of COVID-19, and they bring an existing mask culture in East Asia is often used as a reason cited countries in this region could control their outbreaks. In the United States Trump wear a mask in public until July 11 most recommended three months after CDC covers the face, turning what was supposed to be a scientific issue in a partisan. A Pew Research Center poll released on June 25 found that 63% of Democrats and Democratic-heavy Independent said masks should always be worn in public, compared with 29% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent. By far the most striking failure of the government, the lack of adequate testing facilities right from the start was on. Testing is the key to an answer pandemic more have more information officer of an outbreak, it is better equipped to respond. Instead of presenting more evidence Trump has proposed instead that perhaps the United States should be less testing. He has repeatedly and incorrectly blamed increases in new cases to more tests. “If we have not done the test, we would not have cases,” said the president in June, later suggesting it was sarcastic. But less testing means that are detected only a few cases, it is not that they do not exist. In the United States, the percentage of positive tests increased again by about 4.5% are mid-June to around 5.7% from early September the test virus was spread, whether we’ve tested. (For comparison: Germany entire day positivity rate is less than 3% and Italy is about 2%.) The examination in the United States reached in July to about 820,000 new tests administered to the day after COVID of the monitoring project, but as this letter has declined below 700,000. Some Americans now say they are waiting for more than two weeks for their test results, a delay that makes it all the result, but useless, because people in the window between can be infected if they are tested and when they receive their results, most experts believe that soon, we have not the full extent of the spread of the virus to understand, because we only got sicker ones. But now we know, 30% to 45% of infected people who did show contract the virus have no symptoms and can transmit it. If it is a robust test system and easily accessible, asymptomatic cases can be detected and isolated. But once the test is again inaccessible, we are back where we were before, probably many missing cases. Seven months after the crown was found on American soil, we are still suffering hundreds, sometimes more than a thousand daily deaths. A survey by the American Nurses Association in August detected late July and early that examined 21,000 US nurses, 42% reported bottleneck is widespread or intermittent in personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves and medical gowns. Schools and universities are trying to open for in-person to suffer from learning only epidemics and students send home; some of them are in their communities likely to spread the virus. More than 13 million Americans remain unemployed from August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics September mostly short and medium unflashy solutions for silver balls perceived as a vaccine so that the administration has avoided the leader 4. States US is to publish the “warp speed Operation” data, an attempt to accelerate the development of vaccines. The logic of magic solutions focusing rod will not be so hard on the story for the many people who suffer and die in the meantime, even while the effective strategies to combat COVID-19 already exists. We also fight for the U.S. health care system .. The country spends almost 17% of annual GDP for much more than any other nation Organization healthcare for cooperation and economic development. Yet it has one of the lowest life expectancy at 78.6 years, similar to those spending their GDP in countries such as Estonia and Turkey, to medical care only 6.4% and 4.2% respectively . the government to costs related to the corona treatment coverage, the decision ended up in confusion and fear in the low-income patients with our medical billing system dysfunctional. The crown has exposed is the American Public Health inequalities are justified. Blacks Americans are nearly three times more likely COVID-19 is probably hospitalized, almost five times as getting white Americans and twice as likely to die. Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes, being black in the United States is a risk marker for the basic conditions of the most dangerous COVID-19 “, including socio-economic status, access to health care and a greater exposure to the virus to make the occupation (eg front, workers of important and critical infrastructures). “In other words, you COVID-19 dangerous for American blacks for generations of racism and systemic discrimination. The same applies, to a lesser extent for Native Americans and Latino communities, according to data from the CDC. COVID-19, such as viruses, it is useless; It does not discriminate based on the color of the skin of a person or figure in their checking account. But just because it attacks blindly, the virus has given further proof of the truth, which was clarified in response to another of the epidemic in the country this summer, the violence of the racist police non-US adequately addressed its legacy of racism. Americans now tend to value the individual over the collective. A 2011 Pew poll found that 58% of Americans “to pursue the freedom of life goals without state interference,” which is more important than the state guarantees “no one is in need.” ‘S just, this property with the cause of the country struggles see COVID-19; a pandemic requires people to make a temporary sacrifice for the good of the group, whether it is a mask to wear or skip a visit to their local bar. Americans are united in front in times of crisis, but we have to be out there. “We take our cues from leaders,” says Dr. David Rosner, a professor at Columbia University. Trump and other leaders on the right side, including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Governor Tate Reeves Mississippi each have public health officials defamed, their calls criticize closed for enterprises and other drastic but necessary measures. Many public health experts have become concerned that the agencies of the White House, such as the Food and Drug Administration under pressure treatments to be recognized as convalescent plasma despite the lack of supporting data. Governors, left largely on their own, were a mixed bag, and even those who, like the New York Andrew Cuomo promised they would probably have been able to take more aggressive action to protect public health. Absent proper leadership, it was the American newspaper band together to fight COVID-19 To some extent that has happened-doctors, nurses, bus drivers and other essential workers were rightly celebrated as heroes, and many have paid a price for their courage. But at least some Americans still take such a simple step to reject it as wearing a mask. Because? Because we are in the midst of an epistemic crisis. Today, Republicans and Democrats, on the other not only on opinion questions; I do not agree on fundamental truths, the structure of their particular situation. Half the country gets its news from places that parrots what the administration says is true or not; Half did not. This politicization is manifested in many ways, but the most important is this: at the beginning of June (which have more than 100,000 Americans COVID-19 was already dead), interviewed less than half of Republican voters, said the outbreak is serious it was threatening the health of the US population as a whole. In July and August, the Crown of the White House Task Force to send private messages as the President and Vice President Mike Pence Trump publicly declared members to the seriousness that everything was under control. Some viruses and disbelief on public health recommendations developed is understandable in light of the reality that is the scientific understanding of emerging viruses in real time. The Board constantly changing health officials do not instil public confidence, particularly in already triggered skeptical experts. “Since it is a new infectious disease, a new virus, we do not have all the answers scientifically,” says Colleen Barry, president of Health Policy and Management Department at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “I think it creates an environment that potentially could further erode confidence over time.” But interruptions of confidence down partisan lines. While 43% of Democrats Pew said in 2019 that he had “a lot” of confidence in scientists, one, only 27% of Republicans said the same. Really worrying are the numbers of Americans who are already saying that they are reluctant to get a can COVID-19 vaccination. Mass vaccination is buy-in to work with only enough of the public; the damage the president and others might do to the confidence of Americans in science significant consequences for past capacity of the country must obtain this pandemic. There are ominous undertone to the American attitude towards the pandemic so far another: a demonstrated willingness to accept the mass death. As a nation, we may become tedious horrors that our way, as news comes of armed force on the seemingly endless cases of police violence to water crisis in Flint, Mich., And elsewhere. The Americans seemed to be already accustomed to the idea that more Americans die regularly when they need it. It ‘hard to quantify apathy. But what else could account for nearly half of the year, we have not yet figured out how to equip the front workers, while trying to save the lives of others, are putting their lives at risk? What else could explain why 66% of Americans-about 217.5 million people still do not always wear masks in public? Despite all that the United States seems finally beginning to make some progress yet: the cases every day from a high of 20.5 per head in July to around 12 in early September fell. But we are still far above the spring numbers-the-curve flattening can, but it is, which is quite scary at one point leveling. In addition, experts fear that yet another wave could come this winter, exacerbated by the annual flu season. There are reasons for optimism. Efforts to create a vaccine continues at breakneck speed; it is possible, at least one to be available later this year. Doctors will be better treated in severe cases, with continuous research on treatments like steroids in part (although some patients should expect as much more known as a “long-range COVID” phenomenon). Since the raging virus, perhaps more Americans to public health measures will follow. But there is much room for improvement. At least every American should have access to appropriate PPE-especially in health, education, food services and other high-risk areas. We need a significant investment in testing and monitoring, as other countries have done. Our leaders need to consult experts and let the policy be guided by science. And for the moment, all we have to accept that there is to do certain things that can not, or should not, like going to the movies or host covered wedding. “The Americans [can] begin to say, ‘If everyone is not wearing masks, if not every social distancing is when the parts of the human family along with many people, if there are recommendations from public health to make fun, let’s do keep Ann Keller, an associate professor at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health transfer ”, he says. the United States is no longer the epicenter of the global pandemic that unfortunate torch has been carried out in countries such as India, Argentina and Brazil. and in the coming months could be even a vaccine, or rather a team of vaccines that eventually the march COVID-19 maintains the country. But even so, about 200,000 Americans have already died and many more can be created to do before a vaccine unless America starts to be implemented in the science-based solutions already available to us and invest. Each of these life lost is a whole world, not only those people, but also on their famili ari, friends, colleagues and loved ones. This is and should be reduced. The only way is forward one of humility, recognizing that if America in terms COVID-19 is great, it is not celebrated in a way that most people would do. With reporting by Emily barons and Julia Zorthian / New York This 2020 edition appears in the September 21 time.
Picture copyright by Meridith Kohut for TIME