Economy fears as cases top 10m
Negligent US makes global virus fight harder: expert
Global economic recovery is facing an uphill struggle as the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases surpassed 10 million, 2.5 million of which are in the US, the highest of any nation.
Chinese experts noted that the US’ irresponsible handling over the pandemic has not only left the epidemic situation uncontrolled on its own soil, but also made it difficult for other countries to solve the crisis.
As of press time, according to data from the coronavirus resource center of John Hopkins University, there are 10,012,244 total confirmed cases around the world with a confirmed death toll of 499,342. There are 2,510,728 in the US and 125,538 deaths, which makes the country the epicenter of the pandemic at present.
The global number of COVID-19 cases reached 1 million in April, and it only took around two months to reach 10 million.
The US is the biggest global economy and its pandemic situation will greatly impact the world’s economic recovery. Experts said that short-sighted US politicians have got it wrong at almost every step in their efforts to fight against the outbreak, which means the US is the biggest weak spot in the global anti-pandemic.
Zeng Guang, a chief epidemiologist of the China CDC, said the reason the virus has spread so fast is due to natural and man-made factors. The virus is extremely infectious and far beyond the expectation of scientists, and many countries do not have enough experience to handle the unprecedented pandemic by mobilizing nationwide efforts.
Lü Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, said that the attitude of the White House toward the virus has greatly impacted the attitude of Americans, since from the very beginning the Trump administration tried to downplay the danger and the threat posed by the virus.
“Now the federal government is still trying to downplay the threat so that President Donald Trump can hold more election rallies, but some state governments have different opinions, so in a country with divided opinions on how to fight the virus, it would be very hard to control the pandemic,” he noted.
Analysts said the fight against the virus now is no longer the US priority as many are preoccupied by or participating in protests and street politics, which could cause infections to rise.
The IMF downgraded its outlook for the coronavirus-ravaged world economy, projecting a deeper recession and slower recovery than it anticipated just two months ago.
The IMF said Wednesday it now expects global GDP to shrink 4.9 percent this year, more than the 3 percent contraction predicted in April. For 2021, the IMF sees growth of 5.4 percent, down from 5.8 percent.
Lü said when the outbreak started, the decision-makers of the West prioritized their economies and did not impose strict control measures. Now most parts of China are entering a new stage of economic recovery, but the US is still in a serious predicament.