Half a million lost
The United States surpassed 500,000 deaths from COVID -19 on Monday, a milestone for which “grim” seems too trite a word.
It’s a somber moment to take stock of how we got here, and how we — as individuals, as a society, and as a species — get beyond this.
We can only wonder how many lives might not have been lost over the past 11 months if not for the sheer incompetence of former President Donald Trump and his administration. We can’t ignore, either, the complicity of right-wing media personalities on TV, radio and the web that devolved in the same period into an echo chamber of willful ignorance when it came to the threat of the coronavirus.
Mr. Trump’s minimization of the virus’ danger forced public health officials to not only fight the spread of the disease but the spread of hostility to common-sense precautions. From hosting superspreader rallies and publicly attacking other officials for ordering schools and nonessential businesses closed to promoting wacky cures and treatments, Mr.
Trump’s near-abdication of his duty to keep Americans safe undoubtedly cost thousands of lives. It is little wonder that the United States far and away leads the world in deaths and infections. One might well revise what Ronald Reagan called the most terrifying words in the English language to “I’m Donald Trump and I’m here to help.”
But if Mr. Trump showed us government at its most inept in a public health crisis, President Joe Biden and his administration give us hope with their competence. Mr. Biden had a well-considered plan ready the day he took office, and he appears on track to exceed goals that were already considered ambitious. Vaccinations are expected to surpass the 100 million-in-100-days goal in his blueprint; 500 million doses are anticipated by the end of July.
The next big task will be to work with states to ramp up the nation’s ability to get those shots in people’s arms, a detail that a previous administration — one notorious for being long on hype and short on followthrough — failed to put in place. It’s vital that state and local governments have the resources they need in the broader $1.9 trillion package under discussion between the White House and Congress.
With the nation now looking at a return to some semblance of normalcy by or before the year’s end, it’s far too early to let our guard down — if we ever do. This won’t be the last pandemic humanity faces, and to his credit Mr. Biden promptly reversed Mr. Trump’s myopic, scapegoating move to withdraw from the World Health Organization. Rejoining the world community in a mutual effort to monitor and quickly respond to emerging threats is essential to avoiding another devastating blow to the world’s economies. It’s also a step, hopefully, toward a frank discussion about China’s early effort to keep the rapidly spreading disease secret, and what could have been done to keep the virus isolated.
As for the rest of us, it comes down to what it always has for nearly a year: Wear a mask. Keep your distance. Wash your hands. If you’re especially vulnerable, limit your contact with other people. That’s not a matter of losing your freedom. It’s a matter of saving your life and keeping your health so you can enjoy it again, soon enough.