The confusion of anti-epidemic information and the uneven distribution of medical resources highlight the shortcomings of the US system

Source: People's Daily

The confusion of anti-epidemic information and the uneven distribution of medical resources highlight the shortcomings of the US system.

"Rich Countries, Unequal HealthCare Systems" (In-Depth Observation)

Core reading

With the accelerated spread of the new crown variant virus Omiljung strain, the epidemic in the United States has rebounded seriously, and many epidemic indicators such as new confirmed cases, hospitalized cases, and child infection cases have repeatedly set new records. The supply of anti-epidemic materials in the United States is lagging behind, and the problem of unequal distribution of medical resources has become more prominent.

According to the latest statistics released by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of the evening of February 4, the cumulative number of deaths from new crown pneumonia in the United States has exceeded 900,000, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases has exceeded 76.35 million. It took only 52 days for the number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States to increase from 800,000 to 900,000. According to an article on the ABC website, although the United States is a rich country with a world-class medical system, it has more deaths from COVID-19 than any other country, and the real number of deaths is likely to be much larger than the statistics.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said not long ago that the United States, which was supposed to be the most prepared country for the COVID-19 pandemic, turned out to be one of the few countries most affected by the epidemic. Inequality in public health in the United States is an important reason for this phenomenon.

Epidemic prevention measures such as wearing masks are still controversial

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the Olmikron strain is highly contagious and that the level of community transmission of the new coronavirus throughout the United States is currently at a high level. The accelerated spread of the Olmikron strain has also led to a surge in the number of confirmed cases among children in the United States. According to the latest report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Association of Children's Hospitals on February 7, more than 12 million children in the United States have been confirmed to be infected with the new crown virus since the outbreak began.

U.S. President Joe Biden recently said that the death toll of more than 900,000 is a "tragic milestone." He called on the public to actively vaccinate against COVID-19, those who meet the conditions to actively receive booster vaccinations, and arrange for children to be vaccinated.

U.S. public health experts emphasize that wearing masks, especially high-quality masks with good protection, is an important tool to prevent the spread of the virus through respiratory droplets and aerosols. In response to the increasingly severe epidemic situation, the US government recently distributed 400 million N95 masks to the public free of charge in pharmacies, community medical centers and other places across the United States. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also recently updated its mask guidelines, emphasizing that wearing N95, KN95 or disposable medical surgical masks can provide better protection.

At present, the epidemic has spread for more than two years, and basic epidemic prevention measures such as wearing masks in the United States are still controversial. The medical community has long emphasized that wearing masks as a low-cost means of protection can help slow the spread of the virus. However, some politicians and public figures, including former President Trump, are reluctant to wear masks in public and even question the "mask order", and these confusing and contradictory messages have affected public perception. The US media pointed out that due to the influence of public awareness and other factors, masks cannot be fully popularized in the United States.

Ashish Jaa, dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University in the United States, said that the United States has made progress in medical science, but has done a poor job in the social sciences. "The United States has failed" on how to help people get vaccinated and how to stop the spread of misinformation.

The soaring prices of epidemic prevention materials have been criticized

A number of US media criticized that there is an obvious problem of lagging supply of anti-epidemic materials in the United States. The Washington Post recently reported that the United States is slow to provide masks and rapid test kits, lagging behind many countries. Political factors have hampered the U.S. response to the pandemic. Both masks and rapid test kits have become the subject of fierce partisan battles in the United States. In addition, the lack of universal health insurance coverage is also in stark contrast to other countries.

At present, the price of medical supplies such as new coronavirus test kits and masks in the US market is soaring, and the pressure on ordinary people's medical expenditure has increased. For some Americans, the purchase of N95 masks and kits is a considerable financial burden. According to the Wall Street Journal, two doses of covid-19 test kits usually cost between $14 and $24, but now the price in some parts of the United States has doubled to $75, and even some have a list price of $80. The Guardian reported that a medical supplies e-commerce company in the United States sold test kits 39% to 67% higher than the market retail price. Even so, many products have been snapped up due to the surge in cases.

Bloomberg reported that the surge in confirmed cases in the United States has led to a long queue of new crown virus testing points everywhere, and the existing supply cannot meet the full demand, and the price of kits has soared. A New York food and beverage worker said she and her colleagues bought four kits from private sources for a total of $180. The kits were actually given to the seller for free from his employer. She said she had to buy it even though she felt like she had been scammed.

According to the price tracking website, on Amazon's website, a pack of 40 N95 masks from a third-party seller costs $79.99, up from $16.99 at the end of November last year. One company that offers door-to-door COVID-19 testing even charges $249 to $449. Bloomberg reported that the price of N95 masks has reached "ridiculous" highs in the United States, and people who can't buy masks have expressed their disappointment on social media.

Some media in the United States pointed out that during the several peak periods of the epidemic in the United States, some merchants took advantage of the crisis to raise the price of epidemic prevention materials and daily consumer goods. However, at the level of the US federal government, there is a lack of laws to punish these acts.

Exposing many of the ills of the healthcare system

Vox News network commented that the epidemic has exposed many shortcomings of the US health care system, and Congress may not do anything to solve these problems. CBS reported that due to the strong lobbying ability of pharmaceutical companies, a number of proposals aimed at reducing drug prices were rejected in a congressional vote in 2021. An "open secret" corp. investigation revealed that Senator Robert Menendez, who voted against it, received a political contribution of $80,000 from the pharmaceutical industry, and Rep. Scott Peters received $130,000 from the pharmaceutical industry in 2021.

Faced with high prices for medical supplies, people have to spend huge sums of money on health care. NBC reports that the U.S. spends more on health care than any other developed country, especially as the cost of individual health care is so high that "it only takes an unexpected medical bill to bankrupt a patient."

Vox News reported that about 32.8 million people in the United States do not have health insurance. In 2019, 1 in 4 Americans were forced to give up on intensive care because they could not afford to pay for their medicines. Since the outbreak, the number of children living in poverty and lack of insurance in the United States has been on the rise. A poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that nearly 30 percent of Americans have either stopped or reduced their medications in the past year.

"Rich countries, unequal health care systems." Npriz reported that during the epidemic prevention and control period, low-income people of color suffered a disproportionately heavy blow, and the long-standing racial gap in the U.S. medical field became more prominent.

Katie Borbach, executive director of the U.S. division of the nonprofit Health Partners, noted that the United States is even inferior to some developing countries in the world when it comes to building a fair public health system. Although the U.S. health system is generally well funded, this money does not necessarily go to the public health sector. "This stems from the inherent racism of the American system, which demonizes poverty as a personal or family problem rather than a social and policy issue."

(Washington, February 9)

Reporter Li Zhiwei