pandemical
(The author has more than 40 years of experience in healthcare and healthcare policy)
the needle is stuck …
Political criticism is accessible to dish out these days, especially when constitutionally challenged governmental chief executives are slow to respond to a rapidly expanding crisis like the novel coronavirus pandemic currently harassing America. Significantly, too, when more than 40 million Americans lost their jobs or applied for unemployment benefits due to the pandemic. Never mind that America also went trillions of dollars into more debt valiantly trying to stave off the coronavirus's horrific, unexpected economic impact.
In the early days of the COVID-19 surge through Asia, Europe, and the United States, President Trump did call the virus a hoax manufactured by his Democrat opponents. The 45th President said the virus would miraculously disappear.
The New York real estate developer (he may still be dabbling in the business as president) later projected that fewer than 100,000 people would lose their lives to the virus, which he said was no worse than the annual flu bug death count.
The novel coronavirus fatality tally now officially stands at 117,000, with 24,832 new daily cases on June 16, 2020. Twenty states have seen new case increases; 20 states have seen decreases (including the District of Columbia); and ten states remained essentially the same for new cases.
Once the Trump Administration finally publicly acknowledged they had a real health crisis on their hands, they reluctantly ordered citizens and businesses to stay at home to stop the uncontrolled virus spread.
Several Governors around the country, a majority of Republican governors, rushed to reopen those same states more quickly than they should have given parameters that had been advocated by the more knowledgeable medical experts at the U.S. Center for Disease Control and its National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
One Governor, Florida’s Ron DeSantis, even went so far as to intentionally underreport the spread of the coronavirus in the Sunshine State, which has more than 21.5 million residents and more than 125 million visitors annually.
context
For context, Florida had 1,260 new cases on April 3, 2020, the day Governor DeSantis’ stay-at-home order took effect. On June 16, 2020, he registered an alarming 2,783 new cases for the day. That represents a 120 percent increase since the Governor realized he needed to shut down the state.
President Trump and Governor DeSantis want you to believe that the number of new cases is rising daily in Florida and some parts of the United States because of increased virus testing. This is not true. The number of cases is growing because we are not being honest with ourselves about when, where, how, and why the virus continues to assault our neighborhoods.
Making matters even more controversial in Florida, Rebekah Jones, the state’s COVID-19 data manager for the Florida Department of Health, was fired for ignoring an order that the Governor and his office gave her to remove records showing people who had COVID-19 symptoms or tested positive before the cases were announced.
So, apparent valid criticism aside, what should a state like Florida do to better deal with containing and overcoming a pandemic crisis like COVID-19?
recommendations from the great exposed
1. Start by being transparent with the new case and death report data on virus spread or retreat, regardless of how it may look politically. Scientists, medical personnel, and public safety officials must have the most crystal-clear, accurate data to work from while battling the virus.
2. Mandate the use of masks in public indoor places and impose a $1,000 per violation penalty to encourage greater compliance.
3. Make any group meetings with more than ten people at a time illegal. To encourage greater compliance, impose a $1,000 per person, per violation penalty.
4. Immediately cancel the Republican National Convention functions currently planned for Jacksonville and any other sporting events in the state that permit fan participation.
5. Delay the reopening of state schools (K-12, universities, and colleges) until the day after Labor Day. To help plan for any potential second wave as predicted for the Autumn, go online after the Thanksgiving break and until the start of the spring grading period in January 2021.
6. Continue encouraging at least six-foot social distancing outside and inside and promote 20-second-plus hand washing.
7. Test for virus exposure more widely and dramatically increase tracking and tracing secondary contamination everywhere possible with strict self-quarantining requirements for those exposed. Moving faster on containing the virus is essential in combating the spread of COVID-19 everywhere.
8. Engage state resources to collaborate more with global, federal, and local officials on determining a treatment protocol and developing an effective COVID-19 vaccine.
9. Communicate more clearly through the media challenges and successes federal, state, and local officials have in managing the coronavirus.
10. Ensure that first responders and teachers have ample personal protection equipment for doing their remarkable jobs every day. This includes assisting hospitals, medical centers, clinics, and physician practices in meeting their daily needs.
washington is absent too often
Federally, we need to insist that the White House and Congress come up with a viable fourth round of financial assistance to states and our citizens, whom the virus has adversely impacted. Folks are not returning to work because they want an easy chair life that temporary assistance will afford, as alleged. They are not working because of the virus and its profound impact on our communities.
We also need to insist that the White House quit manufacturing demons in this debate and instead find common ground for addressing the pandemic and zeroing out the number of new cases we confront daily.
By doing all these things, and more not listed here that will become necessary, we can beat this virus and be prepared for round two when it comes again, absent a medically evidenced solution to the spread and eventual treatment.
These steps need to remain in place until the number of new coronavirus cases hits zero for five days in a row, at which point they should begin a more gradual re-opening of the state on the items above.
These steps critically rely on having a scrupulously honest President and Florida Governor to trust in this battle for our lives and those we love.
To date, we have been falling short on this front.