Coronavirus Under the CDC & Trump
On Mar. 11, there were 1,000 confirmed cases of the novel COVID-19 virus in the United States.
Just two weeks later, John Hopkins University researchers announced that deaths from the virus have surpassed 1000.
Currently, schools are closed all over the country, with most cities on lockdown. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has encouraged the practice of “social distancing” during this period, in which all people are supposed to keep a distance of at least six-feet from others in order to prevent the spread of disease.
Different nations have reacted to the coronavirus in different ways and at different speeds, producing mixed results.
Unlike Europe and Asia, it has taken a while for the virus to become widespread in the United States. However, over these past few weeks, it has become apparent that coronavirus hit the nation hard.
As of April 3, 2020, there have been 57,159 reported infections of COVID-19 within only New York City itself. Still, that's only considering the officially confirmed cases; the real statistics remain dubious.
The United States government has been criticized by journalists and everyday citizens alike for its delayed testing, which has minimized the number of total cases reported. Individual states have been responsible for ordering lockdowns. Some states have mandated them while others have taken no precautions at all. Some speculate that the lack of federal response was for the purpose of saving face or reducing panic among the general population to maintain legitimacy. Others believe that the United States was simply unprepared for such a pandemic and is now dealing with the repercussions of its inaction.
Regardless, the fact remains that by March 17th, four days after Trump declared a state of emergency, only 178 patients had been tested for COVID-19 by the CDC. In an effort to increase the rate of testing, the FDA provided state health departments with flawed testing kits, unbeknownst at the time. This only exacerbated confusion over real cases of coronavirus versus cases of the common cold and flu, which have similar symptoms.
In contrast to countries like South Korea and Italy, where the pandemic had hit especially hard, the United States, especially considering the proportional vastness of its population size, is far behind both medically—in terms of diagnosing, treating, and quarantining suspected carriers—and politically, in terms of the way the coronavirus is discussed.
On Mar. 16, Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” in a tweet, prompting controversy. Defenders of this tweet believe that it was simply referring to the disease by where it came from, China. The Chinese Communist Party is also a hot topic in this conversation, as it has been heavily criticized worldwide for falsifying information and persecuting whistleblowers during the beginning of the outbreak in order to maintain political stability at the expense of its citizens and global health. On the other hand, criticism of this statement has noted the increase in attacks against Chinese and other Asian Americans due to the stigma of coronavirus and its origins in Wuhan, China. The reality however remains — regardless of the CCP’s response to COVID-19, the United States’ government’s inaction is now the most direct cause of the infection within its borders.
Some medical researchers believe that COVID-19 will gradually fizzle out as summer comes, with increased humidity having historically slowed the spread of related viruses like the flu. However, it is not certain that this would occur, and if the effect would be strong enough to prevent another wave of infection. In terms of practical measures, as the disease progresses to spread across the United States, immediate measures to slow infection rates must be mandated across the country. Only then will there be a plateau in the exponential curve of new COVID-19 cases currently present.
by ATHENA LI