On September 11, the United States held a routine event to commemorate the 19th anniversary of 9/11. But this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the day different, because some of the survivors and rescue heroes of that disaster have not been able to escape this disaster.
(At least 42 survivors of the 9/11 incident died of COVID-19 pictured from the New York City news website)
● Neglected vulnerable populations
On the nineteenth anniversary of 9/11, a New York City nonprofit news site, The City, found that at least 42 of the survivors and on-site rescuers had died of COVID-19. However, there are few reports of them in the U.S. media.
Peter Panayiotou, a New York resident just a few blocks away, survived when the airliner crashed into the World Trade Center, but eight years later he developed muscle fibrosclerosis in his lungs and received a bilateral lung transplant in 2013. Panayotu took precautions after the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in March, but he was unfortunately infected and died on April 5.
(Old photo of Panayotu, a 9/11 survivor, courtesy of his family)
After the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York were hit and collapsed, a large amount of hazardous dust floated on the site, and an estimated 400,000 people were exposed to toxic air, including a large number of firefighters, police officers and volunteers who rushed to the scene at the first time to save people and rescue people. In 2010, the United States established the World Trade Center Health Program, which is responsible for providing health care to the affected people. Of those who joined the program, 58,000 suffer from respiratory and lung diseases, and the incidence of cancer is higher than that of the general population. It is conceivable that in the new crown pneumonia epidemic, they are a high-risk group.
(Firefighters hit the site of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, pictured from the "City" website)
City reported that this year was particularly difficult for survivors and rescuers of that year, as they were particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. According to the World Trade Center Health Program, at least 1,300 people at the World Trade Center site have been diagnosed with the new crown virus in the past six months. Unfortunately, several of the heroes who were involved in the rescue have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, including Idris Bey and Michael Field of the Emergency Medical Services Division of the New York City Fire Department, and Anthony Iraci, a former NYPD officer.
"Every three days, the country loses its life to COVID-11 as a '9/11'"
As Howard, head of the World Trade Center Health Program, said in a statement, "Every day of remembrance of lost lives is also an opportunity to reflect on 9/11." Under the shadow of events such as the new crown epidemic and anti-racial discrimination protests, this year's reflection on the 9/11 incident in the United States has become more dissatisfied with the status quo and worried about the future of the country.
Kristopher Purcell, an aide to former US President George W. Bush, wrote on the 11th: "Nearly a thousand people die of new crown pneumonia in the United States every day, which means that under the current general rule, every three days, the life lost in this country is equivalent to a '9/11' event." (The events of 9/11 left at least 2,996 people dead or missing.)
(On September 11, 2001, Purcell sat behind the president's desk and auditioned for President Bush's upcoming national speech from the White House.
Percel, who experienced firsthand the U.S. government's response to 9/11 in 2001, recalled: "On September 11, 2001, I was a junior news aide to President George W. Bush. I sat behind the president's desk, auditioned as a stand-in for him, read out his speech, imagining the big decisions he would have to make in that chair in the coming weeks. Over the next few days, President Bush brought the entire nation together — praying at the National Cathedral and visiting mosques to unite American Muslims. This year, September 11, 2020, our country is facing multiple crises at the same time, but behind the presidential desk in the Oval Office is a man who lacks determination, lacks focus, lacks strength, and does not give people confidence. ”
● "What the hell is wrong with us?" ”
(Commemorative event in New York on September 11, pictured from CNN)
When commemorating 9/11, many Americans mentioned the spirit of unity in the Face of Difficulties and Blows in the United States.
Petula Dvorak, a Columnist for the Washington Post, said that after 9/11 in 2001, both liberals and conservatives were able to unite, and lawmakers from both parties could show a posture of working side by side. The country is in chaos. Blacks continued to be killed by the police, and unrest broke out in cities from east to west. Partisan politics tear families apart, and the coronavirus pandemic has killed nearly 200,000 people and infected nearly 7 million, throwing entire education systems into disarray, destroying thousands of businesses and creating the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. "What the hell is wrong with us?"
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis hit the nail on the head: "As a soldier, what worries me most is not our external adversaries, but our internal divisions." Mattis recently wrote: "We have split into hostile groups, driven by emotions and mutual contempt, and clash with each other, which jeopardizes our future, rather than rediscovering our consensus and seeking solutions." (CCTV reporter Wang Fengzhi)
(Edited by Zhang Bing)