Despite its vast wealth, the U.S. has suffered and continues to suffer a far higher death rate from Covid-19 than other wealthy countries. The Guardian has summarized the major factors why this is true:
Low vaccination and booster rates. Less than two-thirds – about 64% – of Americans are vaccinated, and only 48% of those are boosted, despite ample vaccine supply.
People in poorer households still struggle to get vaccines – and time off to recover from any side effects. Some 15% to 20% of unvaccinated Americans say they are still interested in getting their shots, but the U.S. has no guaranteed sick leave.
A dysfunctional privatized health care system. People who lack health insurance tend to wait longer to be seen by physicians, making worse outcomes more likely. They are also more likely to have pre-existing health conditions that put them at greater risk for Covid.
Low trust in government. One predictor of Covid deaths by country is trust in government, according to a recent report in the Lancet: countries with lower levels of trust in government had higher rates of cases and deaths.
No public health mandates. National leaders in the U.S. are unable to mandate precautions, like masks or vaccines, for the entire country, with responsibilities largely falling instead to state and local leaders.
Vast wealth disparity. This is a major risk factor for Covid deaths in any society.
Political division. From the beginning, the pandemic has been overly politicized in the U.S., with simple public health measures becoming needlessly divisive. People have died as a result.
That the Guardian is a British publication makes its assessment of the problems in the U.S. especially noteworthy for Americans. All too often, people in the U.S. tend to become isolated from the perspectives of those outside of our borders.
We do this at our own peril because we live in a giant media bubble here. And because we are currently so divided among ourselves, and consumed by our ongoing internal political psychodrama, Americans easily lose sight of how badly we are handling the challenges of this pandemic as a nation.
If there were a global report card system for grading individual countries on their performance in the fight against Covid-19, most major powers would be getting a passing grade but only a B- or a C+.
The U.S., however, would be getting at best a D. It’s time to sit up and listen to our peers.
TODAY’s NEWS (30):
Vastly unequal US has world’s highest Covid death toll – it’s no coincidence —As the US passes 900,000 Covid deaths, much of the blame has fallen on individuals despite vast income inequality and vaccine accessibility issues (Guardian)
U.S. Warns of Grim Toll if Putin Pursues Full Invasion of Ukraine (NYT)
Russian official dismisses U.S. assessment on possible invasion as alarmist (WP)
Officials: Russia at 70 percent of Ukraine military buildup (AP)
U.S.-Led Air Bridge of Weapons to Ukraine Seeks to Shore Up Kyiv (WSJ)
Protest against vaccine mandates paralyzing Canada capital, mayor says (Reuters)
Afghan Refugees Face Two-Tier System in Europe — Educated elites evacuated to Europe after the Taliban’s return are welcomed, but they struggle with their lives in exile, even as their poorer compatriots are shunned. (NYT)
Afghanistan’s unnecessary plight (Edit Bd/Financial Times)
Trump’s relentless document destruction: ‘He never stopped ripping things up’ (WP)
Trump’s GOP: Party further tightens tie to former president (AP)
Republicans straddle line on RNC's Jan. 6 rhetoric (Politico)
'Snake oil salesmen' advised Trump on 2020 election, Pence aide says (Reuters)
Trump tirade on ‘racist’ DAs echoes other racist tropes (AP)
Amid Slowdown, Immigration Is Driving U.S. Population Growth (NYT)
Facebook’s Wall Street meltdown could be just the beginning for some tech stocks (WP)
The U.S. is considering a radical rethinking of the dollar for today's digital world (NPR)
As NFTs flourish, U.S. Treasury raises alarm over money laundering in art (Reuters)
North Korea: Missile programme funded through stolen crypto, UN report says (BBC)
Indian arrest of prominent Kashmiri journalist provokes outrage (Financial Times)
Cuomo Plans Comeback Months After Sexual-Harassment Claims (WSJ)
How Ernest Shackleton’s icy adventure was frozen in time (BBC)
The 1918 flu didn’t end in 1918. Here’s what its third year can teach us. (WP)
Can Biden tackle rising crime without abandoning police reform promise? (Guardian)
Fatal Force: Police shootings database — The Post has created a database containing records of every fatal shooting in the United States by a police officer in the line of duty since Jan. 1, 2015. It is updated regularly as fatal shootings are reported and as facts emerge about individual cases. (WP)
Florida’s Bonefish Are Riddled With Human Drugs — Some fish have been found to have 17 different types of pharmaceuticals in their blood. (Atlantic)
CNN exec Zucker’s ouster shows peril of hiding work romance (AP)
There’s a massive star in our galaxy’s halo, far away from the usual star-forming haunts. How did it get there? (Sky & Telescope)
CDC turns to poop surveillance for future COVID monitoring (Ars Technica)
ADHD Prescription Label Stapled Into Baby Book (The Onion)
TODAY’s LYRICS:
“Go Your Own Way”
Fleetwood Mac
By Lindsey Buckingham
Loving you
Isn't the right thing to do
How can I ever change things
That I feel
If I could
Maybe I'd give you my world
How can I
When you won't take it from me
You can go your own way
Go your own way
You can call it
Another lonely day
You can go your own way
Go your own way
Tell me why
Everything turned around
Packing up
Shacking up is all you want to do
If I could
Baby, I'd give you my world
Open up
Everything's waiting for you
You can go your own way
Go your own way
You can call it
Another lonely day
You can go your own way
Go your own way
You can go your own way
Go your own way
You can call it
Another lonely day
Another lonely day
You can go your own way
Go your own way
You can call it
Another lonely day
You can go your own way
You can call it
Another lonely day
You can go your own way
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