Why American medicine surrenders before Coronavirus at least two hundred thousand deaths worth expecting the United States as a result of a coronavirus pandemic. This was stated not some kind of

Why American medicine surrenders before Coronavirus

At least two hundred thousand deaths should be expected by the United States as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This was stated not some panicer there, and the President of the United States Donald Trump. What are these calculations based on and why the richest American health care system still looks completely powerless before this disease?

As of March 30, there were more than 142 thousand people infected with coronavirus and almost 2488 of them died. And the number is, unfortunately, will grow. Today, the epidemic centers are Washington, New York and California – however, in Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana and other states are already preparing for the fact that they will participate in this dubious race for leadership.

Why did it happen? Why did the most developed economy of the world become the most affected by coronavirus? There are several reasons for this – and among them not only the underestimation of the crisis by the authorities, but also the systemic peculiarities of the American state, primarily its economy and the health system.

So, at the initial stage of power, the epidemic was tritely blocked. While the Chinese authorities rigidly opposed the virus, and South Koreans, the Japanese, Singapurty and Taiwanese (those who eventually could limit the spread of the epidemic) were preparing for the worst, the United States, according to New York Times, "lived a common life – I was interested in Trump's impeachment, The case of Harvey Winestein, Bregesite and Oscars. " And not only people were interested, but also responsible officials. In the US Administration (inside the Council) there was a person who was responsible for coordinating the actions of the authorities in case of a pandemic – Admiral Timothy Zimer. However, he left his post in May 2018, and his team was dissolved by the then advisor to National Security John Bolton. I did not appoint anyone to his place.

Moreover, the authorities could not predict the scale of the epidemic – after all, the only way to do it could be total testing of the population, and it was not conducted. According to the director of the National Institute for the Study of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of Anthony Fauci, the blame for insufficient testing volumes, due to which the scale of the epidemic was not understood, should not be imposed on the White House or the Center for the Control and Prevention of Diseases (Federal Agency for the American Ministry of Health). Blame "Technical Difficulties" in the production of tests.

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VIEW / Why American medicine surrenders in front of Coronavirus: in the world

Why American medicine surrenders before Coronavirus at least two hundred thousand deaths worth expecting the United States as a result of a coronavirus pandemic. This was stated not some kind of

Why American medicine surrenders before Coronavirus

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However, this is not quite true. Yes, in the disease proposed by the Center for Prevention and Control of Diseases (CDP – the State Agency within the framework of the Ministry of Health, which is engaged in epidemics), one of the components turned out to be defective.However, when tests from private companies began to appear, another problem arose for which the Center and the White House are precisely responsible – the delay in their certification by the CDC. Finally, the original instructions from the CDC called for testing only those who had returned from abroad or had contact with a person who was proven to be infected.

Where to get equipment?

As a result, as of March 1, almost 110,000 tests were done in South Korea, 23,000 in Italy, 13,000 in the UK, and 472 in the US. Recall that by this time in the US, coronavirus had already begun to die. If we take it in per capita terms, then even in the first ten days of March, 23 tests per million inhabitants were performed in the United States (for comparison: there were 327 in the UK, 615 in Taiwan, and more than three and a half thousand in South Korea).

It is not surprising that when a sufficient number of tests were created and the broad masses began to be tested, the curve crept up – and the US authorities suddenly realized that their most powerful economy simply lacks the equipment and medical means to combat the coronavirus epidemic.

So, in 2010 in the United States, hospitals throughout the country had only 62,000 full-fledged ventilators – IVL (more than 10,000 were stored in strategic storerooms). Since then, the situation has not changed – for example, in the state of New York (one of the centers of the epidemic), there were initially only 7,000 ventilators and, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo, the state needed at least 30,000 more. By the evening of March 27, the state found (bought, repaired, pulled out of storage) only half of the required amount. In the meantime, the rest are gone, state authorities and equipment in hospitals are looking for new ways to save people: for example, they have learned how to connect two patients to one ventilator. However, with all their desire, they would not put two people in one bed – the state had 53,000 hospital beds, and this is only a third of what Cuomo says is needed to fight the epidemic.

There was also a problem with masks and bathrobes.A significant part of the protective equipment for doctors was bought in China. It is not surprising that now – on the background of panic – it is not enough.

It came to the point that the main US surgeon by Jerome Adams appealed to the population to "stop buying masks", because they are ineffective in protecting the population from Coronavirus, but if doctors who care for sick people will not be able to get a mask, then they are As well as the areas they serve – will be at risk. "

Italy showed that it happens when a significant part of the doctors are ill – and that this does not happen, now, according to the American Ministry of Health, the medical staff needs about 300 million such masks. Politicians require immediate replenishment of stocks. Democratic senators Chris Murphy and Brian Shatz have already made a bill that requires the federal government to make American business produce at least 500 million respiratory masks, 500 million pairs of gloves, 20 million medical facial shields and as many surgical bathrobes, as well as 200 There are thousands of equipment for artificial ventilation of the lungs.

Trump himself promises 100 thousand Ivl in a hundred days – he has already introduced the law on the production of defense products of 1950 (allowing to force the companies to produce the goods to the authorities) and has already obliged General Motors to produce IVL. However, in a hundred days, it can happen much, and the spoon is always good for dinner.

Cheaper die

The effective struggle with coronavirus is complicated not only by the technical difficulties and disallocurity of the authorities, but also the structural features of the American health care system. In some moments, it is not what does not help, but prevents from dealing with the disease.