It's past the point of appropriate containment, and what's going on at the airports that the feds have directed all returning passengers from Europe to is a dangerous example.
Borders aren't "closed"; that's just to citizens from other countries.
US citizens currently returning from countries with higher infection rates than our own, because of the new travel ban, are standing in 5-6 hour wait lines in tightly packed terminals at OHare and DFW etc waiting to go through customs, get screened for Covid-19, and for baggage.
Massive failure in handling the crowds appropriately. Airport managements have been pleading for more staff from the govt that directed all these people to select airports without a proper plan in place to handle the numbers.
Read up on asymptomatic spread. This virus is easily spread by those who may not have any symptoms and do not feel ill. The time for aggressive testing has slipped us by. Those countries that initiated aggressive testing--not only limited testing of those with severe symptoms as has been happening in the US--were far more able to contain and flatten the curve.
Until the last few days, folks returning from overseas complained of not even being screened or questioned upon arrival.
We are at the point of care and flattening the curve of infection so our health system does not get as overwhelmed as other countries.
These are facts, not hyped media outcries from left or right:
In 2018, the current administration fired the government’s entire pandemic response chain of command, including the White House management infrastructure.
From foreignpolicy.com:
"In May 2018, Trump ordered the NSC’s entire global health security unit shut down, calling for reassignment of Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer and dissolution of his team inside the agency. The month before, then-White House National Security Advisor John Bolton pressured Ziemer’s DHS counterpart, Tom Bossert, to resign along with his team. Neither the NSC nor DHS epidemic teams have been replaced."
I remember reading about the elimination of the pandemic response team then and thinking "Oh christ, some new virus hits us, this is gonna be a royal mess."
We have no coordinated national response in our health system or preparedness. It's generally left up to the states and counties.
Here's an interesting explanation of
Facts on Coronavirus Testing that explains a bit on the US response to developing test kits.
Here's a really interesting interview on Joe Rogan with Michael Osterholm, "an internationally recognized expert in infectious disease epidemiology. He is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, a professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, all at the University of Minnesota.
It's long and they eventually go into things like Lyme Disease etc, though there is a ton of interesting, thought-provoking information on coronaviruses and testing:
There is a ton of good info out there from experts and officials who have served in non-partisan ways through several administrations. I urge everyone to do the research and reading, and not only pay attention to mainstream media, whether left or right leaning.
As example of the spread and how fast, last Monday--less than a week ago and according to the regularly updated
interactive map from John Hopkins School of Public Health, global health experts--there were, to pick a few countries:
- 566 known and confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US
- 1209 known and confirmed cases in France
- 929 known and confirmed cases in Spain
As of early this morning, six days later, there are:
- 2,952 known and confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US
- 4,481 known and confirmed cases of Covid-19 in France
- 6,391 known and confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Spain
Not all countries confirmed cases are growing at the same rate.
France just ordered, nationwide, the closing of all cafés, restaurants and all non-essential businesses.
Spain has just followed Italy in putting the entire country on lockdown, telling everyone to stay indoors.
I'm not trying to incite further madness and panic, but it is irresponsible to ignore facts and what is happening around the world and think we have it more under control than everyone else. The fact is, we don't.
This is going to be a very interesting week as our numbers in the US start to soar more.
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