Why the U.S. Hasn’t Contained Covid-19

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/opinion/letters/coronavirus-us.html

Version 0 of 1.

To the Editor:

Re “U.S. Is Alone Among Peers in Failing to Contain Virus” (front page, Aug. 7):

David Leonhardt’s comprehensive article is an excellent opening salvo for our understanding of this U.S. failure. However, the problem is deeper than the incompetency, ignorance and recklessness of the Trump administration. The larger problem is the absence of a fully funded federal public health agency, with authority, responsibility and accountability to prepare for and respond to pandemics.

Currently we have only a conglomeration of departments, agencies and services, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These groups, themselves underfunded, provide no public health infrastructure, and no consistent policy or messaging.

As much as President Trump has mismanaged this pandemic, these larger problems have preceded him. As far back as the 1920s there has been resistance to public health efforts.

A federal Department of Public Health would lead in providing a coordinated, comprehensive national plan for the prevention and management of pandemics. Further, such a national public health agency would more easily coordinate efforts with other countries.

The coronavirus pandemic will not be the last of the onslaught of new infectious and contagious agents. Hopefully we have learned from this disastrous experience of the need for significant change in the way we approach public health.

Martha SonnenbergWalnut Creek, Calif.The writer is a retired infectious disease specialist.

To the Editor:

I agree with much of what David Leonhardt wrote about our failure to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, but American “individualism” is not part of it. Anyone who has been to such countries as Australia or Italy knows that highly prized individualism is not a uniquely American trait.

In fact, looking at the MAGA-hat-wearing audience members at a Trump rally or bikers swarming South Dakota, one can only conclude that they are prime examples of groupthink. And it is members of these groups who are most likely to oppose wearing masks and other public health measures to contain this pandemic.

What we are witnessing is, in fact, an expression of effective, targeted propaganda, starting with the president at the top and his media supporters.

Manfred StommelAlexandria, Va.

To the Editor.

Hindsight will determine what was or would have been the best response to the epidemic. There were understandable starts and stops regarding the right steps to mitigate an unknown virus, including experts initially telling the public that they don’t need to wear masks, only to reverse themselves later.

There was not and still is not a clear path to getting past this epidemic. President Trump has been committed to saving lives as well as our nation’s economy to have something to sustain us once it is over. Most important, President Trump has sought to inspire hope that we will persevere beyond this tragedy.

Diana StoverTempe, Ariz.

To the Editor:

David Leonhardt’s attribution of blame for our failure to control the coronavirus takes aim at the federal level, but we should not ignore the state and local level.

As the National Association of County and City Health Officials has noted, “local and state health departments have lost nearly a quarter (23%) of their work force since 2008, shedding over 50,000 jobs across the country” and “almost a quarter of health department staff are eligible for retirement.”

Why aren’t more young people moving into public health? Salaries and lack of resources. Physicians, nurses and other skilled public health workers are paid substantially less than what they can make in the private or nonprofit sectors. Departments are woefully underfunded primarily because of the low priority given to public health by state legislatures and city and county leaders.

It’s fashionable to criticize the administration. But for the full answer we can’t ignore the state and local level lack of foresight.

Halley S. FaustSanta Fe, N.M.The writer is a retired preventive medicine physician and a past president of the American College of Preventive Medicine.

To the Editor:

David Leonhardt writes that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo “was slow to protect nursing home residents, and thousands died.”

My understanding is more severe: to relieve pressure on hospital intensive care units, Governor Cuomo authorized the transfer of infected patients to empty nursing home beds, inevitably increasing Covid infections in nursing homes. He performed a kind of triage, at the expense of powerless elderly patients.

Michael N. AlexanderLexington, Mass.