Opinion: The one unforgivable thing about the Covid-19 response - CNN - 0 views
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The first case of Covid-19 in the United States was reported 11 months ago, on January 20, 2020. Since that time, more than 18 million Americans have been diagnosed and more than 329,000 have died.
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The trouble started first in the Northeast during the spring, and then spread in other major urban areas, quickly overwhelming hospitals and nursing homes. High death rates were due in part to a lack of knowledge on how to treat the infection.
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This last upturn in cases, unlike the first two, has not waned. Instead, the spread of the virus has only accelerated, with the nation going into Covid-19 overdrive in the last month. The rate of new cases and deaths across the country makes it impossible now to attribute a single cause to the alarming surge.
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Covid-19 is crushing the healthcare system, with the California Department of Public Health reporting around 39,000 daily new cases and hundreds of deaths a day as of December 23
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First and foremost, it is important to adhere to the key public health measures: masks, social distancing, avoidance of crowds. This approach remains effective, even if it has been adopted unevenly across the country. After 11 months, however, adhering to these measures can be extremely tedious and at times seemingly intolerable -- even for the most ardent public health fans, including myself.
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Yes, it has given hope to the world, but it also may seduce people into thinking wrongly that it will be OK to ease up on preventative measures before the vaccine is widely available.
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Forgoing masks and social distancing will only compound this national tragedy. We are currently seeing roughly 200,000 daily new cases and more than 2,500 deaths in the U.S. per day
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Of the Trump administration's many Covid-19 failures, its inability to develop a modern, convenient and reliable national testing program is the most unforgivable.
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Germany and South Korea have made this the cornerstone of their effective control programs, while Hong Kong has placed test kit vending machines in subway stations. And professional sport leagues have made testing several times a week a core approach to their containment strategy.
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Yet we are only performing averages of less than 2 million tests per day in the U.S. While this is about double the rate in September, it still falls far short of what is necessary. In April, experts called for at least 5 million tests a day by early June to ensure a safe social opening, and 20 million tests a day by mid-summer to remobilize the economy. Others have hoped for even more aggressive goals to "test nearly everyone, nearly every day."
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President-elect Joe Biden appears to understand the value of this strategy, which could bridge the many vulnerable months between now and the development of vaccine-induced herd immunity.