Experts say U.S. preparation leaves a lot to be desired — medically, economically and emotionally.
In the absence of a panacea, public health experts say comprehensive testing is the immediate solution. It would allow disease tracking and quarantines to significantly dull a second COVID-19 spike. Most argue that testing and tracing is the most important step in controlling the disease. But they also contend those efforts have been a bust in the United States so far.
Monto's big fear is a resurgence of COVID-19 coinciding with a deadly flu outbreak, overwhelming hospitals, healthcare workers and supply systems. “If they’re all synchronized, it may really break down,” he said. “To me, that’s the worst-case scenario.Without a vaccine or treatment, and with testing problematic, hospital preparedness looms crucial.
While the price is high, authors concluded, “it will certainly cost less than the trillions now being spent spend because our public health and healthcare system was not prepared or equipped for this pandemic.”for the New York Times, Romer and fellow economist Alan Garber wrote about the dueling threat coronavirus poses to America's public health and financial well-being. While shutdowns may allow some people to survive, they concluded, “It is our economy that will be dead.
An alternative would be to choose the economy over safety. But Romer said that raises a tragic question:"Are we willing to accept 2,000 deaths a day for months on end?" Colin F. Camerer, a professor of behavioral finance and economics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, said COVID-19 may require intense, short-term pain to achieve a long-term gain. He and others pointed to South Korea as a model nation that used comprehensive testing and strict social-distancing to weather the economic storm while limiting infections.
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