The looming coronavirus pandemic isn’t the first crisis not of Trump’s own making. But it shows in stark horror just how incompetent, uncaring and corrupt Trump and his administration are.
What he has done to hollow out the CDC, to deprive it of funding, to leave important expert positions vacant for two years, should be added to the list of his criminal negligence.
Trump reportedly was furious that 14 people were infectious among the 328 Americans evacuated from the Diamond Princess, where 634 had contracted the infection and two had already died, but lumped together with the rest, even though Japanese officials had told American counterparts that laboratory tests for 14 passengers had come back positive.
So far 18 of the 34 people inside the United States who have the virus came from the Diamond Princess, and all 34 cases have been linked to overseas travel.
What if the coronavirus does take hold in the United States? There are no systems in place to address an epidemic. Does anyone believe that the Trump administration could build new hospital facilities and marshal the medical personnel to handle the sickness, in 10 days as China did, where the rate of new infections went up by hundreds per day, despite the extreme quarantine measures, killing two percent of its victims?
As of this week, 80,000 people in China and 34 other countries have been infected, killing at least 2600, with frightening rates of new infections in South Korea, Italy, Iran, Japan, and Hong Kong.
Do you know what gets his attention? The 1,000-point drop in the Dow on February 24 – the worst single-day drop since Feb. 2018.
Trump tweeted on Feb. 24, with his typical eyes wide shut, “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”
He formed a task force with his anti-poor immigrant czar, Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of Department of Homeland Security, who tweeted a plea for help to access Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 coronavirus map Monday because it seemed to be behind “a membership wall of some kind.”
Wow, that inspires confidence.
So now Trump is asking Congress for $2.5 billion – funding half by transferring $535 million from the Ebola preparedness account and shift money from other HHS accounts and agencies – which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a series of tweets, responded “is long overdue and completely inadequate to the scale of this emergency.”
She accused the Trump administration of leaving vacant critical positions at the National Security Council and Department of Homeland Security. “And now, the president is compounding our vulnerabilities by seeking to ransack funds still needed to keep Ebola in check. The president should not be raiding money that Congress has appropriated for other life-or-death public health priorities,” she stated.
Pelosi suggested that the House would move forward with its own plan.
How does Trump propose to stop a pandemic? Well, it will simply die out in April when the weather gets warm, he said – a statement that stunned infectious disease experts.
And it is here, as well, that his sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, his administration’s assault on health care apparatus, on the social safety net, on global alliances, rebound.
Democratic candidates, offer a sharp contrast to Trump and his inept, ignorant corrupt administration, presenting their playbook to protect Americans from pandemics like the coronavirus.
Here’s what Senator Amy Klobuchar proposed:
Renew U.S. leadership and recommit to the Global Health Security Agenda, an initiative launched under the Obama administration to respond to the threat that infectious diseases pose to the global community.
Work with our allies and through multilateral organizations like the World Health Organization to improve local health infrastructure in at-risk countries and regions.
Fully fund U.S. departments, agencies, and programs that are on the front lines in preventing and responding to outbreaks, both at home and overseas, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, State Department, United States Agency for International Development, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
Strengthen early-warning systems to detect and respond to outbreaks on the ground before they spread into full-fledged pandemics.
Develop the global rapid-response system for deploying international medical teams to respond to outbreaks at the source.
Increase the stockpiles of existing vaccines and treatments and streamline delivery systems for rapid deployment during outbreaks.
Invest in capabilities for accelerating the production of new vaccines and treatments when new pathogens emerge.
Leverage public-private partnerships that can unlock new investments and innovations.
Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed much the same but added:
Move to Medicare for All. When people can’t access basic health care, infectious diseases are more likely to spread and cause severe, lasting health effects. Under Medicare for All, everyone will have high-quality health care they can afford, removing financial barriers for patients who may be contagious and need to seek care. We all benefit when we stop the spread of infectious diseases faster.
Fight climate change. A changing climate means infectious diseases will spread to new places… Our health depends on fighting climate change.
Recognize the inter-connectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. When it comes to pandemics, we must think about how an animal, a human, and environmental factors interact. Last year the Trump administration shut down the Predict program to test animals for dangerous pathogens that could cross over to humans. As President, I would restore this essential work. And I will support new scientific research to help understand and predict the impact of warmer temperatures on disease emergence and transmission.
Anyone of the Democrats would address public health in a more serious, competent, focused manner than Trump and his hacks. How many will die needlessly, prematurely?
