Dear America: It’s time to wake up

There I was, just miles from Mainland China. In contrast to the nervous calm in Hong Kong airport, the situation in the PRC was grave, as coronavirus COVID-19 was ravaging the land and its people.

As a first line of defense, my temperature was taken in Indonesia and Hong Kong by officials wearing N95 masks. Their proactive tactic was to help contain the virulence so that it wouldn’t become a global pandemic.

Not surprisingly, such diligence was non-existent upon landing in San Francisco. The totality of the U.S. government’s response to a full planeload of people, arriving from close proximity to the hot zone — including many Asians who may have traveled to China — was zero. Nada. Absolutely nothing. No temperatures taken, no announcements, and no officials offering protocol guidelines should a passenger later develop symptoms.

How can America be so obtuse? It’s maddening, and for the life of me — perhaps literally — I can’t figure out how we’ve made it this far, except to say that Lady Luck has been good to us.

America’s woeful response to coronavirus has showcased our ineptitude, but it’s just one of many issues which need addressing. Consider: 1) Over 80 percent of America’s antibiotics and generic drugs are manufactured in, or have their raw materials originate from, China. From massive national security liability to unthinkable health repercussions, it’s worth letting that sobering statistic sink in.

2) The corona-testing kits sent by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control don’t work. Only three states have the capability to test for it. And by the time a “positive” diagnosis is made, countless more could be infected. Additionally, we have only ten specialized pathogen units in the entire country (with extremely limited bed space) that are equipped to deal with highly-infectious diseases. We spend trillions on meaningless programs and stimulus packages, yet won’t prioritize more contagion facilities.

3) Since our quarantine capabilities are severely lacking, we should convert abandoned factories, shuttered schools and closed military bases into fullystocked quarantine and triage centers. It would be an incredibly shrewd investment, and not just for a pandemic, but any adverse event: Natural disaster; terror attack; nuclear power plant leak; derailed chemical train; toxic refinery fire.

And there would be significant political benefit, since such an initiative would create many jobs across a spectrum of industries, while bolstering America’s national security. A true win-win.

4) The Trump administration, which has been virtually invisible during the corona crisis, has finally asked Congress for $2.5 billion to combat the virus. Welcome to the party, Mr. President! In case you missed it, the world is on the verge of a pandemic. The official count of infected Chinese is near 80,000, with 2,700 deaths — but if you believe those low-balled numbers, I’ve got watches to sell you. Yet instead of seeing the devastating potential of corona, and immediately implementing protective policies, you sat on your hands, and worse, praised China’s response, even though it has been universally condemned as deceitful and dangerous.

Many of our hospitals are staggeringly unprepared. At two of Philadelphia’s top hospitals, which also rank among the world’s best, their proactive coronavirus training consists of “email updates.” No hands-on training. No issuance of protective gear. No drills. Nothing but emails that likely won’t be read.

A public health campaign should be initiated from the presidential bully pulpit, teaching fundamental lessons such as handwashing for 20 seconds with soap and warm water; not touching your face; and keeping fingernails trimmed and clean, since they harbor viruses and germs. Sick people should be told to stay home (since they often don’t), and we should prioritize regular disinfecting of desks and doorknobs, as well as not touching ATM and elevator buttons with fingertips. All are easy, common-sense suggestions for healthier overall living, but no such campaign is happening.

When unprepared for a crisis, people and governments make bad decisions because they act on emotion rather than intellect. America needs to get back in the game, because when a true global crisis erupts, the world will look to us to save it, as it always has. It remains to be seen whether we will be the first generation that can’t deliver that goal.