The United States has a long way to go in fighting the epidemic

At the time of the transition of the new U.S. administration, Johns Hopkins University data shows that the number of deaths from COVID-19 in the United States has exceeded the number of combat and non-combat deaths in World War II combined. The crazy soaring data has completely shattered the "myth" of the US governance ability, and also reflects the long road ahead of the UNITED States epidemic prevention and control.

According to statistics, during World War II, an average of one U.S. military died every 5 minutes, and since December 1 last year, the average number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States has reached 9 every 5 minutes. On January 20, the United States died of COVID-19 on average every 20 seconds, reaching the rate of death on the day of the Normandy landings during World War II. In the face of such a human tragedy, in his farewell speech, Trump even "bragged" about his anti-epidemic achievements in a high-profile manner, "During the new crown pneumonia epidemic, my administration created the fastest economic recovery and medical miracle in the history of the United States, and once again won the respect of the world." The tragedy turned into a "political achievement", and 400,000 living lives were as light as feathers in the speech, how ironic. The US anti-epidemic documentary "Completely Controllable" points directly to the irresponsible anti-epidemic attitude of US leaders.

From letting science take the side, to the increasingly severe epidemic situation, repeatedly staging the trick of "throwing the pot" to blame, to processing epidemic data to whitewash the real situation, and even inciting Cold War sentiment, willfully "withdrawing from the group"... In the values of some people in the United States, "political continuation" is far greater than "people's lives", which not only directly leads to the failure of social governance in the United States, but also interferes with the international community's anti-epidemic cooperation. At the same time, the epidemic is like a magnifying glass, clearly showing the systemic shortcomings of the United States: a high-input, low-coverage, low-effective medical system that makes life trapped by capital; political polarization and mutual dismantling, resulting in long-term difficult labor of the rescue bill... Even the US media had to admit that "the epidemic in the United States has been out of control to expose 'systemic divisions'" and "the United States has become a case of the demise of democracy."

There is no doubt that the Trump administration has left a "political legacy" for the new President Joe Biden as it is "a chicken feather". In his inaugural address, Biden said we are not facing a dilemma overnight and it will take months to turn things around. The U.S. epidemic is still out of control, and the CDC as a whole predicts that the cumulative number of DEATHS from COVID-19 may exceed 508,000 by February 13.

In the face of a new wave of the epidemic, is it a continuation of the previous government to continue to "throw the pot" to the outside world? Or should we abandon prejudices, put people's life safety and physical health first, strengthen cooperation with other countries in the world, and make due contributions to jointly solving the major and urgent challenges facing the world today? How to choose, is not complicated. However, "freezing three feet is not a day's cold", accumulating contradictions and problems for many days, it is unrealistic to expect to resolve them overnight, and the US fight against the epidemic is still a long road ahead.

Author: Guo Yan

Source: Economic Daily