By: Ashikin
17.4.2020
When some countries began showing a sign of the spread of Covid-19 spreading infection, another story for the United States. When this article was written, the United States country registered 677,056 cases and 34,580 cases Kem4tian thus making it as a country with the rates of infection and the Kem4tian Covid-19 largest in the world at this point. So what are the causes that cause these things to happen?
First, a severe health service situation. Despite their status as a nation-class advanced country, their health services are considered worst if according to the health services position of developed countries.
And one reason for US health services is on the other cost-efficiency and entailing problem is money. Yes, money. Based on the Global health expense database, 33% of Americans are acknowledging financial difficulties in seeking medical treatment.
The U.S. average health spending is much higher than other countries. Resources: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/16/21173766/coronavirus-covid-19-us-cases-health-care-system
This situation is far different in other developed countries such as France, Japan, Sweden, Belgium and Canada. But this reality in which they struggled to pay or not be able to bear their medical bills and insurance plans and they refused to cover medical claims made.
In a survey conducted Gallup in 2019, 33% of the respondents postponed the medical treatment due to cost. While 25% further postponed their health care proceedings due to fear of cost.
In fact, a survey in the year of 2018 reveals cancer patients especially women who are suffering from breast cancer are reluctant to undergo inspections as there is a lot of money to be deducted from their insurance plan.
And during the pandemic Covid-19 situation, the U.S. is the only country that saw the people who are risky to spend money for help during the crisis. Convey a article The New York Times revealed some Americans had to pay USD $4000 to enable them to be placed in quarantine areas that are handled by the government.
In addition to the cost, the US healthcare infrastructure is also extremely severe and it is built on a severe payment system. This is because there is a shortage of capacity especially in terms of hospital beds to house patients. The US has the lowest average bed per thousand at 2.8 per thousand, far left Australia (3.8 per thousand) and the Netherlands (3.6 per thousand).
The average bed per capita is lower than Japan, Germany and France. Resources: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/16/21173766/coronavirus-covid-19-us-cases-health-care-system
The shortage of this bed is derived from the higher confinement rate in the US where with proper management, patients are not required to hospital. Among the chronic diseases that should be well managed are asthma, diabetes and heart disease.
Unfortunately, the matter does not occur due to lack or unavailability of access to major health care and high maintenance costs even though for routine care. This contributes to the increase in patient's hospitalisation which has a preventable disease.
Aside from the problem of bed shortage, the US also faced a problem of lack of doctors per capita and far left behind the developed countries. Combine these two shortcomings and it produces a unstable health service structure, waiting for time to collapse. And it finally collapsed when it was a storm named Covid-19.
For that reason, not to be surprised out of 34,580 death cases recorded US is actually slightly more than reported and the death number due to Covid-19 is actually far higher. This is because there are suspected individuals of Covid-19 to choose death at home or elderly care homes for not being willing to bear high medical bills.
Second, the issue of lacking Covid-19 tests. As he was stressed by Dr. Harvey Fineberg, the main key to win fights against Covid-19 is doing as much a Covid-19 test to find out the true situation of an outbreak. And this was done by several countries that were seen to overcome the spread of Covid-19 such as China and South Korea, thus being a model of the recipe against Covid-19 as did Malaysia.
Unfortunately, the matter does not happen in the US. Although at this point, the US managed to increase the capacity of the Covid-19 from 4,000 tests per million to 27,000 per million tests, it is still not enough to reach the required level of 100,000 test per million.
And based on the views of many health experts from Dr Anthony Fauci to Dr Thomas Frieden, as He missed the opportunity to do things in January and February 2020 when China still struggled to overcome the spread of outbreaks in states including Wuhan at the time.
The Disease Control Centre (CDC) led by the famous AIDS researcher Dr Robert R. Redfield, 68, should be able to produce a Covid-19 test kit that can be shared with the state-of-the-States laboratories. But when the test kit was found to be problematic in February last year, he promised that the problem would be resolved quickly.
In fact, it takes weeks time before it completes successfully. CDC also controls the individual to be tested and delayed to perform a community-based surveillance test, common practices in detecting viral spreading. If this can be done earlier, the US can detect the hot point Covid-19 that country and immediately act on the spread of the outbreak.
US wish to do more Covid-19 tests were also prevented by strict rules enforced by the Commissioner of Drug and Food Administration (FDA), Dr Stephen Hahn. Hahn sets a strict range of regulations that make it difficult for hospitals, private clinics and companies to execute a Covid-19 test during the emergency.
When many countries are busy testing thousands of people per million, the U.S. can only test 100 people per million. Yes, 100 people per million! This fact is frustrating as many parties as health experts, members of the legislature and the people who are increasingly desperate.
Third, political and partisan issues. Unlike Malaysia that was seen to be able to waive a while partisan issue to focus against Covid-19, the opposite of Washington. No-finished plays especially involving White House officials.
And the people who felt this during the current Covid-19 were severely charging the world is health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. (Azar II). Many of the two agencies with a slowdown in the dual agency handled the issue of Covid-19 but Azar II were seen failing to speed up or change the direction of a Covid-19 test kit.
In addition, Azar II was also seen not in line with the White House in many issues. Prior to the position of Chairman of the Special Task Force Covid-19 was filled by the vice President Mike Pence, the position was held by him until the end of February.
Following the absence of the intermediary chief of the Special Task Force and acting Chief of staff of Mike Mulvaney, Azar II was unable to lobby the issue of Covid-19 including the need to hold more tests on the US citizens. This was not assisted by the loyal attitude of Trump and Cold War with his own department scientists including Dr. Redfield.
This is the Pence lead to the removal of Azar II as the head of the special Task Force and is replaced by the. It happens even after many members of the special Task Force warn: Fix the delay issue of a Covid-19 test or we will be here all night long.
Similar partisan games also plaguing Trump especially in the early months of the spread of Covid-19. The US president is seen AS a focus against the threat of removal and trade wars negotiations with China and considered it as a junk issue.
The Trump attitude that looked after the threat of Covid-19 eventually was self-consuming. Credit Photos: Getty Images
Not only once, but he rejected the warnings that raised by his senior officers regarding Covid-19. Don't believe it? :
1. The US National Security Council (NSC) received a intelligence report on Covid-19 as early as January 2020. The report reveals that it will spread to the U.S. and steps to be taken in order to implement a curfew and social spacing. Trump only did so in mid-March 2020.
2. Getting memo from a US trading adviser, Peter Navarro on January 29 which warned if pandemic Covid-19 was not barred, it would drop US economy and lead to a huge loss of life. Navarro Memo is not entertained.
3. Azar II warned the possibility of pandemic Covid-19 when communicating with Trump by phone on January 30. U.S. presidents who are on the way to Midwest to make public appearances however reject the warnings of the health secretary and described Azar II as too paranoid.
The White House refusal to take seriously Covid-19 threat was not only shown by Trump but also his servants. It is not once these officials are strained on the issue of Covid-19 from a travel restriction issue to China until the issue of fundraising.
For example, a travel restriction issue to China in January 2020. These restrictions are recommended by the anti-Chinese officers and the idea that basically tries to stem the spread of Covid-19 is contaminated with the ideology that rejects China in each corner. This has raised the anger of the tribes who are negotiating the termination of war trade between both parties and the potential to explore the opportunities sealing the agreement.
This refusal was also influenced by the issue of re-election of Trump as president of the U.S.. Keep in mind this year, the U.S. will conduct presidential elections and Trump know the chances of being to remain influenced is by the US economic situation. If the U.S. economic situation is good, then the chances are to remain bright even more his opponents is the former vice presidents of the Democratic Party, Joe Biden.
Trump knows the chance of defeating Joe Biden Bright if the U.S. economy was in good condition but all it changed with Covid-19. Credit Photos: Getty Images
And for that reason also that prompted Trump to continue delay in a curfew and social spacing. He knows if two things are implemented, the U.S. economy in a dangerous situation affects its position by presidential elections that will be held at the end of the year.
But all that was changed by mid-March when Trump finally completed the recommendations of health experts and carried out the curfew as they wanted.
Behind the pressure of the United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to not do it because it can damage the U.S. economy, experts who have lost the looking AS a permanent US economy will be destroyed if they don't do anything.
Curfew and social spacing are implemented for two weeks. But after seeing the major impact of the order against the U.S. economy, Trump always seeks ways to pull back the orders behind the hard resistance of state health and governors of the affected States.
With the coming days and the rising number of deaths because of Covid-19, whatever hope to open the country by Easter stalling already? And due to various problems that are triggered either its own administration or structural problems that plaguing US health services, one fact is important: for every life of the U.S. peoples' missing, the burden of offenses should be borne by Trump whether he likes it or not.
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SOURCES:
Davis, Aaron et. (2020). Coronavirus death toll: Americans are almost certainly dying of covid-19 but being left out of the official count. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/coronavirus-death-toll-americans-are-almost-certainly-dying-of-covid-19-but-being-left-out-of-the-official-count/2020/04/05/71d67982-747e-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html
Goodnough, Abby et al. (2020). The Lost Month: How a Failure to Test Blinded the U.S. to Covid-19. The New York Times. Retreived from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/us/testing-coronavirus-pandemic
Sanger, David. (2020). He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump’s Failure on the Virus. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-response
Moustapha Abbas (2020). Kenapa Amerika Syarikat Boleh Jadi Negara Paling Teruk Dalam Dunia Dibadai Covid-19. Retrieved from: https://www.thepatriots.asia/kenapa-amerika-syarikat-boleh-jadi-negara-paling-teruk-dalam-dunia-dibadai-covid-19/
Scott, Dylan. (2020). Coronavirus is exposing all of the weaknesses in the US health system. Vox. Retrieved from: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/16/21173766/coronavirus-covid-19-us-cases-health-care-system
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