Over the past two weeks, the U.S. has more than tripled its coronavirus cases. We became the country with the most cases worldwide and numbers continue to increase. If you’ve watched the news, researchers recently have been talking about the coronavirus reaching a “peak.” A peak means, according to The Hill, the apex of the use of hospital resources (beds, ventilators) for COVID-19 patients in every state. For the study, data from the confirmed coronavirus deaths from the World Health Organization was utilized, in addition to how many patients a hospital can handle and how many are being used. Providing citizens listen to guidelines enforced by the CDC and the government, these peaks can be worked around and fewer people will suffer.
Many people have been debating if we are doing enough to prevent the spread of the virus. An easy answer to that is no. For many months, President Trump did not believe in coronavirus and didn’t take precautions as soon as the first case was discovered in the U.S.
President Trump said, “They tried anything, they tried it over and over, they’ve been doing it since you got in. It’s all turning, they lost, it’s all turning. Think of it. Think of it. And this is their new hoax. But you know, we did something that’s been pretty amazing. We’re 15 people [cases of coronavirus infection] in this massive country. And because of the fact that we went early, we went early, we could have had a lot more than that”. He completely downplayed the scope and damage the virus could spread, until it was too late.
There is only one thing left to do now: more testing to see the true spread of COVID-19. As one of the great superpowers in the world, we are lacking in this category. South Korea is the country we should all be replicating. According to Forbes, “UPI reported that South Korea had conducted almost 250,000 tests as of Friday according to the KCDC; Eun-young wrote that aggressive testing is also why the country’s mortality rate of 0.77% is so far below the 3.4% global average—and to encourage testing, the roughly $134 fee is waived for anyone who is already a suspected patient or who tests positive, AFP reported”.
The NY Times reports that South Korea and China are the only two countries in the world right now which have had large outbreaks and have been successful in flattening the curve of new infections. China had to enforce extreme restrictions on its people, while the U.S and Europe have had to lock down all of their citizens. By conducting so many tests so quickly, South Korea was ahead of many countries because they tracked the spread of COVID-19 and immediately got to contain it.
Every state should be following suit in regards to testing. However, the process to get tested is difficult and almost impossible to do. Chelsea Donaldson, an opinion writer for Newstimes, wrote an article about her experience with having to get tested for coronavirus in Connecticut, here is how that went:
Donaldson described her and her boyfriend both developing symptoms for COVID-19. She said, “By March 21, we both had doctor’s orders for a test for COVID-19. Why? Because in Connecticut, you require a doctor’s order for a lab test for it. Getting those orders were no easy feat. At first, Hartford Healthcare’s command center hotline told us that because we were below the age of 60, we do not qualify for a test.” It should be noted that the coronavirus affects people of all ages, it just has had a more severe effect on the elderly. Donaldson’s process didn’t end there, unfortunately. She and her boyfriend had to go through their health insurance companies and go to three separate testing sites only to not be tested. They were confirmed to have the virus by a doctor, but more testing did not take place to trace where they both got it from.
This is where the U.S. government is failing its citizens. If there weren’t such high criteria to be tested, there would be more information about who has or has had the virus. The CDC and the U.S. government are well-aware that the virus is asymptomatic, meaning there are unknowing vectors who spread the virus while not showing symptoms. President Trump and his administration must step up and provide healthcare workers with more resources and work to provide free tests for all those living in the U.S.
NC lawmakers have been discussing random sample testing. The News and Observer reports, “State Sen. Andy Wells, a Republican from Catawba County, called for random sample testing early last week, too. Berger followed up, saying that ‘world-renowned scientists at Harvard and Stanford have been recommending this for some time.’”
Government officials state and nationwide have made decisions without fully understanding the severity of coronavirus. For example, two states to look at when comparing coronavirus responses are Tennessee and Kentucky. While they share a border with each other, their governor’s responses were starkly different. According to The Intercept, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was one of the first governors throughout the U.S. who treated this pandemic with all seriousness. On March 6, he declared a state of emergency, as the state had its first confirmed case. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee followed Trump’s response in downplaying its severity and not taking any precautions against it. He even told Tennessee residents that a state of emergency would not be necessary. Gov. Lee soon changed his decision on that, as more cases appeared.
Without the use of reliable data, it is impossible to determine just how many people are infected, showing symptoms, and or are asymptomatic. When federal governments are not doing enough, it is up to state governors to provide safety for their residents. By listening to CDC officials and health officials, governors have been able to make better decisions to protect their residents. More governors should’ve responded to this pandemic as Gov. Beshear did. We must make up for lost time as a country now. There needs to be more testing done, and increased production of PPE items for healthcare workers, who are at the front line of the coronavirus.
