'Heartbreaking,' say global experts, alarmed at signs the US has 'given up' fight to stop Covid-19
"I can't imagine what it must be like having to go to work knowing it’s unsafe," said one expert in New Zealand. "It's hard to see how this ends." Published Friday, June 19, 2020 by Julia Conley, staff writer, Common Dreams https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/19/heartbreaking-say-global-experts-alarmed-signs-us-has-given-fight-stop-covid-19 Global public health experts are looking on in "alarm and disbelief" as the U.S. economy reopens even as Covid-19 case numbers continue to rise and with President Donald Trump signalling he has no intention of calling for more economic shutdowns regardless of the outcome. As The Washington Post reported Friday, newspapers across Europe have recently published articles and editorials expressing shock at the Trump administration's approach to the pandemic. "U.S. Increasingly Accepts Rising Covid-19 Numbers," read a headline this week in the Swiss paper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. While images of Americans crowding onto beaches and other public places may have given the international community the impression that the public have grown impatient with social distancing, a survey by the Associated Press last month showed 83% of Americans were concerned lifting lockdown orders too quickly would lead to more coronavirus infections. But as the country's overall case numbers have risen in recent days, with 10 states reporting just this week their highest seven-day average since the pandemic started, Trump and other leaders are pushing Americans to return to work and their normal routines. "We won't be closing the country again. We won't have to do that,” the president said Wednesday. Infectious disease specialists around the world are struggling to understand the logic of reopening the country as case numbers grow, the Post reported. "It really does feel like the U.S. has given up," Siouxsie Wiles, a specialist at University of Auckland in New Zealand, told the Post. After spending 4% of its GDP on coronavirus relief—which covered all wages for New Zealanders who had to leave work to self-isolate, doubled healthcare spending, and provided subsidies to businesses so they could maintain their payrolls—New Zealand announced in late April that it had effectively eliminated the coronavirus. As of Friday, the country had only three confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the past three weeks. Other countries where case numbers have dropped significantly in recent weeks, including Canada, Denmark, and Germany, also introduced far-reaching economic relief packages early on in the crisis to enable people to stay at home and avoid overwhelming healthcare systems. Those spending plans contrast sharply with relief measures in the U.S., which included a one-time direct payment of $1,200 to some Americans and $600 per week on top of regular unemployment benefits. Republicans plan to let the unemployment benefit expire in July, and House Majority Whip James Clyburn admitted in May that a paycheck guarantee was the "most efficient" way to protect Americans' jobs and incomes during the crisis, but dismissed Rep. Pramila Jayapal's proposal as too expensive. Posting a chart on Twitter showing the steady, continued growth of Covid-19 cases as millions of Americans were forced to continue reporting to work throughout the crisis, compared with plummeting infection rates across Europe, former Obama administration Medicare official Andy Slavitt tweeted, "Don't ever let anyone tell you it wasn't possible." Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, added that poor government responses to the pandemic in the U.S. and the U.K. were inexcusable. "It's down to absent leadership, incompetence, and a deliberate decision to treat COVID-19 like flu for weeks in Feb and March," Sridhar tweeted. Wiles expressed horror at the pressure many Americans have felt for weeks to keep reporting to work, regardless of their own risk factors for infection or of case numbers in their communities. Several states last month announced that they would end unemployment benefits for workers who didn't return to their jobs after their industries began reopening, and Ohio's government urged companies to report employees who didn't return. "I can't imagine what it must be like having to go to work knowing it’s unsafe," Wiles said. "It's hard to see how this ends. There are just going to be more and more people infected, and more and more deaths. It's heartbreaking." Michael Rozier, a public health and ethics professor at St. Louis University, said the U.S. response to Covid-19 is rapidly beginning to resemble its approach to gun violence. He writes, "I'm becoming convinced that Covid is not far from taking on the characteristics of gun violence. The U.S. will endure much higher, persistent negative effects from something that other countries have solved; we'll normalize it and convince ourselves nothing can be done." — Michael Rozier, St. Louis University "It's hard to see how this ends." -- Comments: SuspiraDeProfundis 16h It looks like Canada will have to permanently close the Border to Americans coming in and Canadians visiting the USA. Indeed I do not see how any Country could allow its citizens to visit the USA unless on return they quarantined for 20 days. 2 Replies17 Aleph_Null 1 16h Yesterday I heard that AMC, the huge cinema chain, plans to reopen without requiring facemasks, because they’d prefer to avoid “political issues” such as facemasks – whether or not it’s nice to carelessly expose others to deadly risk. In USA the choice of whether to use your turn-signal is a political issue. Our precious freedom to act like total idiots shall be pried from cold dead fingers. Give me recklessness, or give me death! 2 Replies14 Caroline 16h Looks like we will be trapped here in this-----one of the best examples of a “shithole”---- country. There is understandable celebration with the Supreme Court ruling yesterday related to DACA and what that ruling represents. I fear soon everyone will be stuck here unable to get out. As opposed to fighting to stay in the u.s., I believe there will be battles to get out. It’s one I am ready to take up to get my daughter out of here. I know there are some decent, compassionate people here but the level of people owning weapons in the u.s. combined with ignorance, hate, greed and selfishness is massive and a horrific combination. Other countries pity us and this article articulates yet another example why this is the case. p.s. Anybody else catch that lunatic standing in line for the trump rally dressed as the border wall? 3 Replies11 Vladimir_Bone_Spur_tRump 16h It looks like Canada will have to permanently close the Border to Americans coming in and Canadians visiting the USA. Indeed I do not see how any Country could allow its citizens to visit the USA unless on return they quarantined for 20 days. NOOO!!! That’s my last hope to escape this toilet! 1 Reply2 Vladimir_Bone_Spur_tRump Aleph_Null 16h It’s business as usual here. I passed one bar/restaurant yesterday and it was PACKED with people. While some stores still have plastic barriers between the cashiers and the customers, people seem to be quickly reverting to “normal.” At this point I really don’t give a sh!t as long as I don’t catch COVID from some mouth-breather. Let nature take its course. 2 Replies2 Boodee 15h My cousin in Ft W is spewing such anger at those around him, no one with masks ANYWHERE. the uptick in cases in TXASS are now mostly YOUNGER age groups; you now, the ones who are impervious. Miserable morons. 4 Caroline 15h It looks like Canada will have to permanently close the Border to Americans coming in and Canadians visiting the USA. NOOO!!! That’s my last hope to escape this toilet! Those were my thoughts too!! 2 Phred_Pharkel 15h I would like to see a different reality played out. However, through their childish petulance, arrogance and contrarianism, these idiot morons are determined to own the libs, kill themselves, and, take as many of the rest of us with them that they can, in the process. Phuck them. Stop trying to protect them from themselves. Do what you can to keep you and yours safe. Hunker down as best you can and let them kill themselves as quickly as possible, do that the rest of us can get on with fixing the problems they are causing. They will take themselves out of the game before long and earn Darwin Awards in the process Phuck Them! 2 Replies5 Kaylie 2 15h “U.S. Increasingly Accepts Rising Covid-19 Numbers,” read a headline this week in the Swiss paper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Yeah that is the theme in this country. Our government is not on our side. It is not protecting us. We are nothing more than cogs in a wheel, sources of labor and taxes, disposable, replaceable and for those who dissent, terrorists as Trump put it, to be crushed and enemies to be spied on and stalked - as seen by Pelosi and the corporate Dems extending the Patriot Act giving Trump more spying and police powers. They see us as hindrances who threaten their power and the status quo. This is not a compassionate government. Those 120,000 dead people and counting those are not worthwhile human beings to them who tragically died. They are just a statistic to be tallied up at the end of the day. Do you think that if our political leaders, on either side of the spectrum - gave a shit about the lives of average Americans the CARES ACT that gave the keys to the Treasury to corporations and banks and constitutes systemic looting of the American people, not to mention the largest transfer of wealth to top in over a century - would have been signed into law unanimously? Unanimously!!! A major pandemic. 40 million people out of work and with it out of healthcare coverage Rent and mortgage apocalypse looming as the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures expires. No Medicare for All No paycheck protection No UBI NOTHING. NADA. ZILCH. The pandemic was used an excuse to keep looting this country to empower the already obscenely rich and powerful and cut down on regulations and whatever is left of our pathetic social safety net. Chuck and Nancy and Mitch and Donnie took care of their rich donors, everyone else be damned. Rugged individualism for the poor, socialism for the rich. The US’ response was and remains one of the most vile, corporate-friendly responses to such a devastating crisis. It’s been criminal from start to finish. And BOTH parties are responsible for it. Sure, Trump is bad and he made it all worse, that goes without saying. But if any of you are under he impression that the criminal response falls solely on him, you are sorely mistaken and are just giving his co-conspirators and brethren in crime a pass. Pelosi is Trump’s number one enabler and there isnt anything she would be doing differently if she was actually working with him. Her so called resistance is limited to side claps, tearing papers and petty insults. And her solidarity with black lives and the structural inequities that resulted in the protests and riots is limited to kneeling in ethnic African garb for 8 minutes and virtue signaling about the values of brown and black people, but only if they are centrists (see how the Democratic Party is trying to crush Booker and Jamaal Bowman and other progressive candidates of color in order to prop up conservative white candidates with a D next to their names). So yeah, the world is looking in horror as the US goes after and decimates its own to keep the oligarchy alive and happy. “Nothing will fundamentally change” Joe Biden said. That is one promise you should believe. That is the theme of this nation. Nothing will fundamentally change 15 zed Aleph_Null 10h I havent been to a movie in a theater since around 2008 when I went to see Avatar in 3D. And you have every reason to fear enclosed spaces. Wear a mask by all means. Try to minimize indoor everything. Wash your hands a lot and wear a mask. I have a lost of things I take, I just added berberine to my list, Resveratrol, vitamin D, zinc, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) at least 4x day. I also take curcumin and qurcetin and have for years, I also take fish oil and betaine and choline and a good multivitamin. 1 EclipsingSun Garrett_Connelly 10h That’s a vote for Trump in this election. If we had a 3rd viable choice, I’m sure many of us would take it! But, thanks to DNC & establishment Dems, Biden & not Sanders, is the nominee. (I still think something very fishy about that sudden Primary landslide shit!) Change would gave happened with Sanders & I think that scared those gliding along merrily with status quo. Too bad for all of us working stiffs, cuz’ Bernie, not Biden, willing to “rock the boat”. Biden is not who I’d choose. In fact, last in line. But, he is NOT the criminal, wanbabe dictator that Trump sure as hell is! Some things can be fixed & others stopped, with Biden in there. And, depending on his VP choice, we may actually be able to make some headway in areas that matter. He needs to be surrounded by smart, assertive people with solid ideas & logical reason, to convince him to step out of his comfort zone ~ or let them do it for him. In any scenario you choose, Biden is far better choice than Trump! Under Biden, we will be allowed to protest, to call for redress of our grievances. None of that, under the man who thinks he is God & the party supporting him in that! We also need to remove many members of the traitorous GOP from Congress!! They have shown time & again that they care not about this Country, its hard-working people, or the laws of this land! Remember…only by removing Trump, do we also get rid of Pompeo, Barr, Miller, Mnuchin, Kushner & many others who contaminate all that they touch!! I sure as hell hope we shitcan McConnell & his pals in Congress too! But, they all are doing their best to get Dems not to vote, to be discouraged & trying like hell to not allow the 1 method of voting for which they have no ‘cheats’ in place…mail-in-ballots. They are pulling out ALL THE STOPS for this 2020 election! They have everything riding on it. And so do we! American Democracy has no future if we don’t get Trump & his fascist cronies OUT of there! If we don’t get Trump & company OUT OF THERE NOW, we will all rue the day we let it happen! Right now, all we can do to save the USA is VOTE OUT THE GOP!! It is the patriotic duty of each & every one of us to vote - yes, vote Biden for now. At least it will stop the demagogs from the final piece of their takeover of our Country! It will give us some room to breathe! It will remind us all what “normal” used to be, before Trumpenstein made himself ‘the asshole king’ with the undying love & help of his loyal, UnAmerican GOP party! And, if we don’t “slam on the brakes” RIGHT NOW, we can kiss any hope for America, good-bye. We won’t get another chance! THIS IS IT! There is a death grip on the throat of this Country & our demise means nothing to those currently in control. We MUST stop it! …& Stop it now! Give Biden 4yrs ~ it may not bring big changes that are needed, but it WILL STOP the takeover going on right now & give us room to breathe. We can remove the malignant cancers killing us & right some wrongs, fix what we can & rske steps to prevent that shit from happening again! That is what Biden CAN DO & it is what the Trump Regime fears the most! We HAVE TO WIN THIS ONE, or I fear all is lost. The writing is on the wall & it’s got Trump’s misspellings throughout. VOTE BIDEN…because we must Save Our Country from those working hard to destroy it! Anyrhing less (like not voting) is the death of our America! We CANNOT SURVIVE 4 more yrs of Trump/GOP!!! 1 Reply1 BigB 10h After every mass shooting in the USA, the Onion prints the same headline, “No way we can stop this, says only nation where this regularly happens” That is how Covid is about to be treated inside the USA. Losing 250-300 thousand per year due to an ever mutating coronavirus is going to become as accepted in our nation as traffic accidents, gunshot victims, police brutality, and reality tv. You can never set the bar too low for Americans. 5 1Nall Upthepeople 10h Excellent post. Put a smile on my face and this evening that’s hard to do! zed EclipsingSun 9h tptb really want to replace us because we’re too expensive. Its on autopilot already, pass it on. 1 lamonte7 9h I fear soon everyone will be stuck here unable to get out . The borders are still open… nobody is moving out. On the contrary, the US has problem keeping people from illegally entry. 1 Reply1 timebr 1 Caroline 9h Ironic the Trump wall, Mexico might be thanking Trump for it and Canada might ask for one too. USA the biggest zoo in earth. The trump people say “it’s not that there are more cases that the numbers are increasing rapidly, it’s more testing”. Yes I heard it from a former policeman Trump supporter who seemed to be living in total denial. They fail to make the connection that the infections must have happened and are increasing regardless of testing. More caskets with covid-19 dead are turning up everywhere in the USA. All counties have been tallying cases categorically since the beginning.and keep their stats updated. Trantorian 8h Capitalism kills. In the case of the US it’s an apparent suicide. 2 oldie SkepticTank 6h h-ttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/06/19/911-calls-heart-attack-tripled-nyc-during-covid-19-outbreak/3220834001/ The virus attacks soft tissue and we have no idea what after effects will be. Those who are cured apparently have three weeks of anti-bodies. Polio had life long effects. rickshaw51 5h the Dems bail out the corporations–AGAIN–while leaving the American people to rot-- AGAIN–with "friends and allies " like the Dems -who needs enemies–Third Party Time --BOTH our current political establishments have failed us–have been failing us - and will continue to, fail us --WHY?–because they DO NOT WORK FOR US having been co opted by the corporations decades ago 1 Sirios 5h American freedumb - The Right to do as one pleases and shoot anybody that disagrees with you. UncleFester 1 5h Hey, the Busy Bee! Right Here in Ventura!! I’ve eaten there a few times, many years ago. Not near as good as it used to be(e), so I’ve heard. I’ll confess to having gone out for brunch a couple of times, at odd non-crowded weekday hours, to a local place that has put partitions between their booths, and getting take-out once a week or so at another place that’s fastidious about allowing only one customer at the door at a time, always wearing masks, sanitizer available, etc., but the yo-yo’s hanging out in bars, a-whoopin’ and a-hollerin’, let 'em practice Self Selection For Infection. “Stupidity Kills – Just Not Fast Enough!!” As to the headline for this article, I imagine there are way more people in the rest of the world who are tickled pink at our self-destruction than there are who are worried by it. “Aprés Tweetle-Dumb, Le Deluge!!” Garrett_Connelly Upthepeople 3h You are clear thinking when you say, “binding.” The point of elections is to determine what cosmic powered biology manifest as human is thinking. Democracy is for the focus of distributed human intelligence and now is when we need that broad knowledge directed. Experts, movie stars and politicians are not doing very well. I declare my independence from pirate capitalists and their armed police by writing in None of the Above. Garrett_Connelly lamonte7 3h It’s only a problem in the talking head circle. US army terrorists are sent by Democrats and Republicans to destroy a culture and economy and stampede cheap labor into the US. Then talking heads tell empty heads the Brownies are coming and we need more police, walls and corporate prisons. Jaded_Prole Vladimir_Bone_Spur_tRump 32m As I wrote on my blog, “What Needs Saying,” this pandemic is the Instant Karma" due and earned by our aggressive, exceptional terrorist empire. earth2human 26m Some have called it a culling. That implies a measure of thought & consideration. Seems more like a lopping-off. _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
