As of last week, the United States surpassed China in total number of recorded COVID-19 coronavirus infections.
There are a few caveats to take in with that, but viral infections in China appear to be on a downward trend. China has a population of 1.4 billion people. The U.S. has a population 331 million people and confirmed infections have only increased. As of this writing, Wyoming had 95 confirmed infections.
That will likely increase between the time this paper is printed and when our readers get a chance to peruse this edition, which illustrates how quickly moving everything surrounding the pandemic is. Thankfully, no one has died yet.
Like China, the confirmed number of infections in the U.S. are smaller than whatever the actual number is. This is mainly due to our government’s inability to initiate a vigorous testing program that can track the coronavirus’ spread.
That hasn’t been the only core problem associated with this pandemic.
There’s a severe shortage of protective gear for medical workers treating the more serious cases of coronavirus infection, which places them at a huge risk of being infected themselves. There’s also the fact the pandemic response team was disbanded in 2018 and the Trump Administration’s donation of millions of dollars worth of medical equipment to China after the first coronavirus infection in the U.S.
Contrast this with South Korea’s response. South Korea’s first positive coronavirus case was reported the same day the U.S. had its first case.
However, South Korea adopted a rigorous testing program, with the government hosting a summit with the country’s medical companies to create the partnership needed to combat the virus. This partnership resulted in the creation and mass distribution of COVID-19 tests throughout the country, which both allowed the government to track the spread of the virus to prioritize where it should respond first, as well as allowing for quick isolation and quarantine of those already infected. The country is successful in limiting exposure and the spread of the disease, all without the country-wide shutdowns and shelter orders seen in other countries.
Admittedly, South Korea has a much smaller land mass to deal with and roughly one-sixth of the population the U.S. has. A similar response could have been initiated in the U.S. regardless.
A rigorous testing and quarantine policy could have been implemented in major cities, then spread out to rural areas as needed. The result would have been less cases in places like New York and New Orleans and possibly single-digit cases reported in Wyoming.
What we’re seeing is a spectacular failure in leadership from our federal government. While Trump may claim he doesn’t accept responsibility for anything regarding the coronavirus, the simple fact is this: the buck stops with him.
Infections and economy-hindering responses could have been lessened if we had a much more serious early response to the pandemic.
One positive thing to note: Trump has stopped talking about easing restrictions and rebooting the economy by Easter and has extended federal distancing guidelines through April 30. Someone in his administration has his attention and he is listening to their advice.
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