The State of the Public Health Crisis
Around the world, life is close to normal in a number of countries. Life in the United States, however, is still severely disrupted. One reason is that the country has failed to invest in the basic public health infrastruture to control the virus.
The most effective tool to stop the spread of COVID-19 is the N95 mask. But, more than 6 months into the pandemic, there aren't even enough N95 masks in the United States to even meet the needs of of health care workers. N95 masks are supposed to be discarded after treating each patient. But in an August survey, 68% of nurses report being required to reuse N95 masks. Some are forced to reuse the same mask for months. Meanwhile, N95 masks are virtually unavailable for other wokers who could use them like "teachers and day-care workers, factory employees and flight attendants, restaurant servers and grocery store clerks."
Another critical tool to control the virus is testing. As the NBA bubble has demonstrated, frequent testing of a population, combined with cloth masks and other protocols, can quickly bring the infection rate of a given population down to zero. But in the United States as a whole, there still aren't nearly enough tests. In some areas it can take days to get an appointment for a COVID-19 test. And once someone gets a test, it still takes an average of four days to receive results — which makes effective contract tracing virtually impossible.
Widely available testing and N95 masks would make it possible for many Americans to safely return to work and school. Legislation approved by the House and sent to the Senate in May, provided "$75 billion for coronavirus testing and contact tracing." But the Senate refused to take up the House legislation because the overall package was too costly. Trump has suggested that the country already conducts too many tests.
Now, the Senate has shifted its attention to other priorities.
Around the world, life is close to normal in a number of countries. Life in the United States, however, is still severely disrupted. One reason is that the country has failed to invest in the basic public health infrastruture to control the virus.
The most effective tool to stop the spread of COVID-19 is the N95 mask. But, more than 6 months into the pandemic, there aren't even enough N95 masks in the United States to even meet the needs of of health care workers. N95 masks are supposed to be discarded after treating each patient. But in an August survey, 68% of nurses report being required to reuse N95 masks. Some are forced to reuse the same mask for months. Meanwhile, N95 masks are virtually unavailable for other wokers who could use them like "teachers and day-care workers, factory employees and flight attendants, restaurant servers and grocery store clerks."
Another critical tool to control the virus is testing. As the NBA bubble has demonstrated, frequent testing of a population, combined with cloth masks and other protocols, can quickly bring the infection rate of a given population down to zero. But in the United States as a whole, there still aren't nearly enough tests. In some areas it can take days to get an appointment for a COVID-19 test. And once someone gets a test, it still takes an average of four days to receive results — which makes effective contract tracing virtually impossible.
Widely available testing and N95 masks would make it possible for many Americans to safely return to work and school. Legislation approved by the House and sent to the Senate in May, provided "$75 billion for coronavirus testing and contact tracing." But the Senate refused to take up the House legislation because the overall package was too costly. Trump has suggested that the country already conducts too many tests.
Now, the Senate has shifted its attention to other priorities.
