Vastly unequal US has world’s highest Covid death toll - it’s no coincidence
As the US passes 900,000 Covid deaths, much of
the blame has fallen on individuals despite vast income inequality and vaccine
accessibility issues
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/06/us-covid-death-rate-vaccines
Sun 6 Feb 2022 02.00 EST
The US has suffered 900,000 deaths from
Covid-19, the highest figure of any nation. The death toll would be equivalent
to the 15th most populous city in the country, more than San Francisco,
Washington DC or Boston – a city of ghosts with its population swelling each
day.
It’s not just the total numbers. America also
has the highest death rate of any wealthy country, with
half of the deaths occurring after vaccines became available.
The US has never responded to the Covid
pandemic in a sustained, proactive way as a unified nation. Instead, much of
the responsibility – and blame – has fallen on individuals. In a country with
vast income inequality, poor health and sharp political divides, the results
have been grim.
(Continues, Use like above)
It blows my mind that America has the highest death rate and at the same time it is one of the wealthiest countries. How is this so? And what can be done to change this?
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting point! Though I've known about the vast income inequalities and health disparities present in totals society, I never considered how it could impact the Covid-19 pandemic. Health disparities are an issue that should not be taken lightly.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like this brings up issues about state and federal government. Through most of the pandemic, the U.S. government has mostly left COVID-19 public health policy up to state governments. The CDC, after all, usually just makes "suggestions" or "guidelines". Most of the time, this system makes sense since we are a diverse nation and different states may have different needs. However, for a pandemic of this magnitude, it does seem like the U.S. could've responded in a more cohesive way. I guess this begs the question on whether a "one size fits all response" would've left more cracks than many responses with all varying effectiveness.
ReplyDelete