First I have difficulty expressing my horror over the toll it has taken on Americans. Health care workers and doctors have born the heaviest burden; a daily grind of medical care and witnessing the deaths. Long hours, insufficient personal protection equipment and a shocking and embarrassing lack of needed medical equipment/supplies has taken its toll. Health care professionals will suffer some of the same detrimental after-effects as the first line support personnel during the 911 terrorist attacks.
American workers (many at the lowest paying jobs) have lost their work, their income and their dignity. Unemployment benefit systems have been overloaded and slow to respond. The federal relief response has been poor and very slow. Hundreds of thousands of people in America do not know where or how they will obtain food on a daily basis.
Small businesses and some medium to large businesses/industries are either not operational or are operating on a limited basis. The impact is far-reaching and has severely damaged our economy. Recovery is actually unknown. We do not know how long it will take. We do not know if full recovery is even possible. We do not know the total cost and added National Debt that will be incurred as we struggle to repair the Nation and our citizen's lives.
This is the impact of the pandemic on the USA that has been well documented and is widely known. I am not providing any new revelation. But I was born after the great depression and both world wars and although some say that American is strong and capable and that we will survive this, I just do not know. I have no experience with this kind of upheaval. I have not been even slightly impressed with the current administration and their handling of this crisis. Many individuals are performing in heroic fashion. Many of our governors have done good work despite almost total lack of federal government leadership, policy and action to buy and make the equipment and supplies that the states have needed.
Some parts of the federal government have worked diligently to inform the public, to provide some needed materiel, and to offer hope. The scientific and human health professionals (without enough funding or support) have stepped up. There are many ongoing efforts to find and test medication, vaccines, and treatment procedures to fight this virus, to help patients survive and to prevent others from becoming victims of the virus.
We must continue to appreciate, thank and applaud the incredible work our medical and health care professionals are doing on a daily basis. We must appreciate the hard work being done in medial research labs in the effort to develop a successful and safe vaccine and medications.
America must learn from this ordeal. A vaccine must be developed and mass produced and it must be made available to everyone. America must re-establish a department within the federal government to study viral pandemics, to plan for future pandemics and to establish supplies and equipment storage facilities to enable health care professionals to do their jobs well and efficiently. America must gain a new understanding of the importance of science and medicine and must more properly fund the scientific and medical operations in America so that we can be ready for this kind of crisis. America must develop an improved health insurance program that meets the needs of every American citizen (including the very poorest). This crisis has shown just how devastating the virus has been on those who have not been able to take advantage of good medical care in their daily lives, due to low income, living in rural or remote areas of the country, living in inner cities or lack of medical knowledge, information or education.
America is a great nation. However, it is a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling nation for those with substantial money than it is for those with little or no money.