No DEBATE…..Covid-19 is still with us!
Our country is amid the 2020 presidential campaign which magnifies profound candidate differences regarding the ongoing health, economic, and educational impact of Covid-19. Nevertheless, the data shows that this plague continues to impact every aspect of American life. The USA has recorded 7.2 million cases and nearly 208,000 deaths. The infection rate is still above 5% in twenty-nine states, above 10% in fifteen of those, and above 20% in Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Idaho. Recently, a 19-year-old Appalachian State college student succumbed to neurologic complications of Covid-19. Two NFL teams (Titans and Vikings) closed their facilities this week and the Titans vs. Steelers game scheduled for October 4th has been rescheduled for later in the season. Northeastern Wisconsin (Green Bay and La Crosse) is suffering a huge surge not only in cases, but hospitalizations and deaths. Unfortunately, we have plateaued at nearly 40,000 new daily cases in the United States with thirty-one states reporting increasing daily case numbers. This baseline is “unacceptable high” according to Dr. Anthony Fauci (NIH Director and taskforce member). This level of plateau provides a very fertile baseline for dramatic case increases and transmission. 10% of the new U.S. cases since July have been in citizens under 21 years old. It is also clear that African Americans are disproportionately affected in every age group. Over 22,000 more African Americans killed by Covid-19 would be alive today if the death rate was the same as our fellow Caucasian citizens.
We can only identify new cases through adequate, accurate, rapid results testing. We are again being promised by the White House a massive infusion (150 million doses) of a 15-minute tests (Abbott) beginning in October 2020. It has been projected by a Harvard group that we need 5 million tests per day so that we might adequately and safely reopen schools, businesses, places of worship, and other aspects of the American way of life. By now, 6 months into the pandemic, we would be closer to the necessary testing and by the way personal protective equipment if the President had fully implemented the Defense Production Act to address these shortfalls. The initial focus of the distribution of these millions of Abbott antigen tests will be for victims of recent hurricanes, schools, nursing homes, and assisted living and senior day care facilities.
We continue to see erosion of confidence in the agencies tasked with protecting our health. One recent example of this is that the CDC issued a “no sail” order for cruise ships in March 2020. They recommended that the order be left in place, but this has been overturned by the White House. Additionally, reports are that the CDC’s school reopening guidelines, testing guidelines, and meat packing plant recommendations have all been changed at the orders of the White House. Secondly, the image and trust in the FDA is being tarnished by political pressure regarding testing and therapeutics. The organization must restore its status if our country is going to able to benefit from a safe and effective vaccine. The FDA strengthened the requirements necessary for general usage approval of the anticipated Covid-19 vaccine. Despite what we have heard during this week’s 2020 Presidential Debate, both Moderna and Pfizer, which are in phase III trials for a Covid-19 vaccine, have stated that their vaccines will not be available by election day. Moderna states that widespread availability of the vaccine will not be before Spring 2021. Pfizer is emphasizing the need to cease the political conversations about their vaccine because it adversely affects the public confidence in the eventual vaccine.
At this juncture, we find it critical to re-emphasize that there are available actions which can maximize our safety. While we wait for a safe and effective vaccine get the flu vaccine NOW, WEAR your masks, WASH your hands, WATCH your distance.
VOTE! The person who is President has a huge influence on your health and very existence.
