At the end of March, the United States broke the world record for the infection of coronavirus, ahead of even China: there are now, according to official figures, already more than 85 thousand patients. Particularly difficult situation in the new York district of Queens, where more than six thousand patients COVID-19, in hospital morgues running out of space, they have to fit mobile refrigerators for temporary storage of dead bodies from the virus. “Medusa” has tried to understand how this could happen in the most rich and developed country first world and the consequence for America after the pandemic starts to decline.
In USA now most cases COVID-19 in the world
As of March 27, according to the Johns Hopkins University, USA leads the world in the number of cases of coronavirus: more than 85 thousand people infected, of which 1300 have already died. USA was ahead of China, which became the source of a pandemic, and Italy, which since March 10 is national quarantine with overcrowded hospitals. Infected with the coronavirus exists in all 50 States, as well as nearly all the island territories, with the exception of the most remote and sparsely populated Pacific Islands. Due to the fact that intensive care are overcrowded, and doctors lack the means of individual protection, primarily affected the hospital staff. March 25, CNN reported that in two Boston hospitals will test positive for coronavirus have received more than 40 employees.
The state of emergency is valid throughout the country. In addition, 15 States introduced restrictive measures of varying degrees of severity. With strict quarantine in effect in California, where Governor Gavin Newsom issued a decree on March 19 ordered all residents of the state to stay home, banned any public gatherings regardless of the number of people and closed all kindergartens, schools, bars, restaurants and other places of leisure, as well as shops, except those selling essential commodities.
Most affected new York
The disastrous situation in new York, where on March 2, when the state’s Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the first confirmed case of infection COVID-19, infected for 23 thousand (in the state of new York is 37 thousand), of which 365 have died (in the state — 466). Doctors in new York hospitals, described the situation as “Apocalypse”. Among the worst affected district of Queens, where as of March 25, 6420 was sick (two times more than in Manhattan). On the YouTube channel of The New York Times, March 26, published a video shot by the resuscitation of the city hospital of Elmhurst. Dr. Ashley Bray has shown, the conditions in which doctors work in intensive care in the midst of the epidemic of the coronavirus: the wards are full, not enough beds, medical equipment required to treat patients with coronavirus in acute condition, especially of the ventilator, too, need more. The doctors are running out of personal protective equipment (Dr. Bray said that she had to wear on duty the same mask N95 20 March), due to which the virus has already picked up dozens of employees, from doctors to nurses. Over even place in the morgue, why the hospital had to adjust a refrigerator truck, where it is temporarily stored in the bodies of the dead from COVID-19.
Everything is closed
Across the United States are canceled or transferred all mass events, primarily concerts and sporting events. The Boston marathon, held annually in late April, postponed to September. Major League baseball moved the start of season 2020 for an indefinite period — this has not happened since the terrorist attack of 11 September 2001, when the week ended all the matches of the season. The NBA first tried to play matches in stadiums without an audience, too, was forced to freeze all the games of the season 2019-2020 after 11 March, the coronavirus was diagnosed in the center of the team the Utah jazz’s Rudy Gobert (two days before Gobert at the press conference jokingly touched all the microphones on the table, then he had to apologize).
Across the country canceled or transferred the largest conferences and festivals. March 13, Apple has announced that its annual conference for developers WWDС, scheduled for June 2020, will be held in an online format. The annual electronic entertainment Expo E3, which usually announce the main releases of the video game industry, held since 1995 in Los Angeles, completely abolished. Scheduled for 12 may, the conference for developers Google I/O first would be held in alternate format online broadcast, but due to the imposition of restrictive measures by the Governor of California, where the headquarters of Google, in the end also cancelled entirely. The same fate befell the South by Southwest festival (SXSW), a major annual event in Austin, Texas.
The closure of cinemas across the United States is expected to lead to the largest drop in box office receipts since September 11, 2001. Hollywood studios suspend shooting and cancel or transfer the premiere of the most anticipated films of the year: for example, the world premiere of the twenty-fifth James bond film “No time to die”, scheduled for 3 April, was postponed to November.
Due to limitations associated with the pandemic coronavirus, all the organizers of mass events in the United States are unprecedented losses. JP Morgan analysts predicted a 14-percent economic decline in the next quarter the year 2020 is unknown damage to the American economy, even in the midst of the economic crisis of 2008, the economic downturn in the fourth quarter was 8.4%.
But how did that happen?!
A — doctor hospital Elmhurst Ashley Bray to the analysts and the columnists of the main American media are wondering why the leading country of the first world was in such distress.
Foreign Policy magazine called belated and ineffective response of the US authorities to the epidemic COVID-19 “the death of American professionalism.” Opponents of Donald trump blaming the President: he refused to recognize the seriousness of the situation at an early stage, when the outbreak of coronavirus across the country it was still possible to prevent.
From January to beginning of March 2020 until the who announced COVID-19 pandemic, trump in his public statements and tweets really downplayed the seriousness of the threat. For example, on March 9, he wrote: “In the past year from ordinary flu died 37 million Americans. Every year, this figure ranges from 27 to 70 thousand. And nothing closes, life goes on, the economy works. Currently we have 546 confirmed cases of infection with coronavirus and 22 died from it. Only to think!” However, a week later, speaking at a press-conference of the working group on the fight against coronavirus — infected when the bill went into the thousands, he changed his rhetoric to a much more realistic and acknowledged that “things are bad”.
One of the reasons why the US missed the outbreak of coronavirus, may be associated with the delay of mass testing for the disease and poor coordination between different Federal departments responsible for relief of pandemic Centers for disease prevention (CDC), the Administration on control over foodstuff and medicines (FDA), and others. The New York Times reports that epidemiologists from Seattle, one of the first who announced the pandemic threat of the coronavirus, because of bureaucratic delays failed to get permission to test the Americans in the early stages of the pandemic.
Research project in Seattle to study epidemics of influenza were trying to obtain permission from CDC to use its resources for the deployment of mass testing, but February 16 was refused. Officials of the Federal Agency referred to the fact that the lab you must first obtain permission from FDA. The Agency, in turn, also refused, indicating that the laboratory no corresponding clinical status according to the Federal standards — and the process can take months. In addition, according to the magazine The Atlantic, in February, the CDC tried to test for coronavirus on their own, but they have available in stock the tests were defective — and independent medical laboratories that have developed their own tests, was not able to get them FDA certification. So critical moment in the diagnosis and prevention of a pandemic at an early stage was hopelessly lost.
In addition, the lack of prompt reaction of the US authorities on pandemic coronavirus may be due to excessive politicization of this issue. According to a survey conducted in mid-March by broadcaster NBC and the Wall Street Journal, Americans are sharply divided in opinion about the threat of coronavirus on the basis of their party preferences: only 40% of Republicans think the worst yet, whereas among voters-Democrats pessimists almost 80%. Play the role and economic considerations: President trump and his supporters (but not all) continue to insist that prolonged quarantine would be too painful a blow to the US economy, which will hurt more people than the coronavirus.
And then what?
March 25, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously for the adoption of an unprecedented large aid package from the Federal budget to benefit victims of the pandemic coronavirus. Its volume is two trillion dollars. Among the measures was the payment of a lump sum financial assistance in the amount of $ 2,400 (plus another 500 for each child) to each family whose gross income does not exceed 198 thousand dollars a year per household. In addition, $ 500 billion allocated to help companies affected by restrictive measures related to the coronavirus, and in a separate $ 25 billion for U.S. airlines that have stopped flights in connection with the restrictions on movement. However, this bill has not yet passed finally: it are going to approve the house of representatives on Friday, March 27.
But even if all of the arrangements — from the rigid quarantines before the financial assistance will be as efficient as possible, and researchers will be able to quickly develop a working vaccine against coronavirus, pandemic COVID-19 has already changed American society in an irreversible way according to some experts. British science journalist ed Yong has written for the magazine the Atlantic large study, which described the possible consequences of a pandemic for the United States.
When — and if — flash COVID-19 in the United States finally starts to decline, it does not mean that the pandemic illness. Unlike past epidemics and pandemics type SARS (“SARS”), middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), avian and swine flu, Ebola, virus, Zeke and HIV/AIDS are either not affected the US population, or infecting only certain social groups, the coronavirus does not spare anybody — neither a homeless nor a Senator. Therefore, even after the quarantine is lifted, America should prepare for new outbreaks and new measures of “social distancing”, the operational closure of schools and cancellation of flights. And after the pandemic coronavirus, writes Yong, comes a wave of secondary effects: for example, exacerbation of mental illness associated with the forced long-term isolation and constant stress. Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder affect millions of Americans for years after the relief of pandemic COVID-19.
Will change the habits of Americans, says Yong. Some Americans who remember the experience of national unity in the face of terrorism, trying to act deliberately relaxed and gathered in bars and restaurants as if in spite of the pandemic. But the virus, unlike terrorists, are not interested in their fear — only the cells of their bodies. Yong also predicts a surge of interest in epidemiology and Virology and enhancing the prestige of these professions.
He concludes his essay Yong two possible scenarios. The first President of the trump successfully convinces the nation that his decisive action, the United States defeated the coronavirus. His rating is growing, he is re-elected for a second term and continues a policy of isolationism, out of NATO and other international alliances and agreements, continues to build around US the imaginary and the real wall. For members of “generation K” (Gen C, by analogy with Generation X and Y, as Yong suggests naming the children born during the pandemic coronavirus) infection imported from the outside will take the place of an existential threat, which is terrorism.
Under the second scenario, America learns all the important lessons of the pandemic and, taught by the hard experience of forced isolation, turns to face the neighbors — at home and abroad. The presidential election of November 2020 be a symbolic rejection of the policy of “America first.” After the Second world war, the Americans seek international cooperation. Children of “generation To the” writing school essays about how they want to become epidemiologists when they grow up. USA lead the world in addressing global problems such as pandemics and climate change. In 2030, out of nowhere a virus SARS-CoV-3, and within a month he was destroyed.
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