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The United States’ response to Covid-19 is an unusual case in comparison to other countries around the world. Many nations have taken swift and decisive action when it comes to managing this pandemic and taking the necessary steps to minimize the damage caused by it. Travel restrictions were imposed very early in the crisis, along with the rapid search for a vaccine. The failed response from President Trump and his administration in terms of inadequate testing and inefficient safety protocols played a major role in the spread of the virus. The response time and the precautions that were taken in response to Covid-19 in the United States compared to that of South Korea and other counties are drastically different.
Multiple reports suggest that intelligence officials were warned about Covid-19 emerging from China as early as November 2019. In early January, the White House security council was briefed about the virus, with the first case in the U.S. being reported later in the month. South Korea’s first case was discovered on the same day, however, they had implemented nationwide testing within two weeks from that date. To minimize the spread, they had free and available testing with results being given back in a matter of hours. In addition, there was an increased production of medical supplies in the region. Many experts had also informed the public to practice social distancing guidelines. President Donald Trump, however, had compared the virus to the flu and stated that it will go away on its own with help from the warm weather. Around the same time, he had called it a “democratic hoax” and a witch hunt by the media to make him look bad. His refusal to take appropriate action and his efforts to politicize the pandemic to suit his own political gains has led to disastrous consequences for Americans. On February 29, 2020 the first Covd-19 death was confirmed in the U.S. and a state of emergency was declared in Washington.
One of the things that has worked against us in the United States is the political mindset of those in power; they believed that this was not a national problem and left the states to deal with the majority of their issues on their own. The Trump administration preferred for the government to do less, and for states and businesses to pick up the slack. During this pandemic, President Trump has left democratic states like New York , which have been very critical of his behavior, to deal with their Covid-19 issues by themselves while receiving very little federal aid.
According to apnews.com, President Donald Trump has stated, “I want them to be appreciative, you know what I say? If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call.” All this has suggested that he has been using his influence as president to settle personal feuds and reap the benefits, President Trump has also refused to take any test from the World Health Organization and decided that the United States would have to make their own test , which turned out to be ineffective and has led to significant delays. His previous decision to dismantle the pandemic response team set up by the Obama administration in preparation of such events is one of factors that has led to the skyrocketing infection and death rates in the United States.
The constant break in political norms by the current president is also very concerning. President Trump has repeatedly stated false and misleading information during the pandemic, leading to mass confusion among the public. Over the course of this pandemic, he has fired and driven out several individuals who are experts in their field, including doctors and health specialists. These decisions have led to vacancies and positions in his administration being filled with people that do not live up to the needs of the American people. The lack of federal responses and essential personnel in key positions has led us to where we are now with the United States overtaking the rest of the world in cases of the Coronavirus.
