Why Was COVID-19 A Partisan Issue?

It is not hyperbole to postulate that partisanship and distrust of science in the U.S. is responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is a lesson that we have paid heavily for in the last month, but hopefully it will have beneficial long-term effects that could save lives and suffering in the future.

When the spread of COVID-19 first became obvious to the world outside of Wuhan, scientists and physicians were nearly unanimous in warning of the potential for a pandemic.  There was sufficient data from Wuhan to make it clear that COVID-19 had a much higher reproduction factor and mortality rate than influenza.

The Trump administration was cavalier about the danger from the start.  The primary reason for their reluctance to acknowledge any risk was the possible impact on the stock market and the economy, which Trump saw as the key to winning a 2^nd term in November.  This led the administration to interpret any pressure from politicians or the science and health communities as attempts to create a panic situation and bring down the ‘Trump stock market’.  Trump and various right-wing pundits and news shows even went so far as to deride these warnings as hoaxes.

By constantly comparing COVID-19 to the annual seasonal influenza, Trump and his allies showed both an astonishing level of ignorance and a cynical willingness to gamble the health of Americans on the hope that somehow the virus would indeed be relatively harmless.  This hope was not based on any science or data, but on the ‘instinct’ and so-called ‘common sense’ that seem to be the only basis for Trump’s decisions on every issue.

Because of this incomprehensibly stubborn refusal to listen to reason, Trump wasted weeks of time when the nation could have been preparing for the onslaught of the virus.  Testing could have been accelerated, a large-scale national effort to make personal protection equipment and extend hospital facilities could have been initiated. 

The time lost during Trump’s selfish attempt to save his own fragile economic legacy has had devastating effect.  Thousands more will die than would have died had he acted aggressively in the nation’s best interest rather than his own.  Compare his administration’s response to that of Germany and you will see the difference between the leadership of a vain, petty demagogue and a true selfless, determined humanist.

Trump’s disdain for science and data has set us on a course for disaster, and not just in this pandemic.  There is an even more catastrophic highly probable natural disaster awaiting us in the near future with climate change.  We can only hope that all of humankind, and particularly the science-ignorant public in the U.S., will draw a lesson from this pandemic and understand that science informs us about the dangers ahead, but politicians must take action.

We are learning through this pandemic that the earth is a single, fragile organism in many respects.  There have been numerous noble gestures and empathetic responses across the globe.  The sacrifice and dedication of health care professionals worldwide stand in stark contrast to the woeful actions of our President.  We must unite in our determination to defeat this current pandemic, heal the economic wounds, and then use that unity to face the certain challenges that lie ahead.