As America marches toward one million confirmed COVID-19 cases, I recall on March 13 when President Donald Trump told reporters to judge how America was doing by looking at “other countries that are many, many times” more than us. Like so many other comments, Trump may now regret that comparison as America now has more cases than many other nations combined.
Trump is now trying to rewrite the history of what he said and did during the first three months of the pandemic, and redirect responsibility and blame to President Barack Obama, China, The World Health Organization, state governors, hospital workers, and the media.
Trump blames Obama for the lack of COVID-19 testing in America. Obama was good, but only Trump would expect him to develop a test for a virus that didn’t exist when Obama was president. No, Mr. Trump, the testing fiasco is all on you. Also, Trump’s been president for over three years. I’m pretty sure that the ability to blame your predecessor runs out after the first year or two. Definitely by year three.
Trump’s current target for blame is the World Health Organization (WHO) and he has stopped their U.S. funding. Cutting funding of the WHO in the middle of a pandemic sounds like something Trump would do, right?
Trump is upset because he says, the WHO, “Willingly took China’s assurances to face value” and “pushed China’s misinformation” about COVID-19. This is interesting because it was Trump who made 15 positive comments and tweets during January and February congratulating and thanking China for their COVID-19 response. On Jan. 24, for example, Trump tweeted, “China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American people.”
The WHO, founded in 1948, coordinates international health policy, especially during outbreaks of infectious disease. As Bill Gates said, “Halting funding for the WHO during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them.”
On Jan. 20, the WHO started daily briefings to warn the world about the virus. On Jan. 23, their directors stated, “This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one.” By January 30, with new evidence of community spreading, the WHO declared “a global health emergency.”
That evening, Trump held a campaign rally in Iowa and said, “we have it very well under control.”
By Feb. 11, the WHO was warning the world that the virus would have “more powerful consequences than any terrorist action,” calling it “Public Enemy Number 1.” Throughout February, Trump continued to play down the virus. As late as Feb. 24 he said, “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA.”
In January, the WHO transferred COVID-19 genetic information from China to a lab in Germany where they developed a test in one week.
When the WHO offered the test to American officials, it was rejected.
Germany accepted the test and now has one of the highest testing rates and one of the lowest mortality rates in the world. The U.S. developed a test but it was contaminated and gave too many false positives, according to The Washington Post. We have been playing catchup on testing ever since.
On March 12, Trump stated that “Anyone who wants a test can get one.”
That was false then and remains false today. Many sick Americans still can’t get tested and results can take up to two weeks. Trump continues to brag that America has tested over 3 million people. Does he not understand that 3 million represents less than 1 percent of 328 million Americans? Experts say we need 3 million tests every week to safely open society.
Because of a lack of testing, many more Americans likely have the virus but don’t know it. Trump wants to lift restrictions, but without adequate testing, we don’t know who can work and who should stay home, who can go back to school and who should stay home, and who can take care of the elderly in nursing homes without infecting everyone living there.
Trump also blames the media for underestimating COVID-19. Actually, the only “media” underestimating the seriousness of COVID-19 is Fox News, Trump’s favorite. For example, on March 6, Fox News Medical Contributor, Dr. Marc Siegel, referred to the WHO as a “bunch of alarmists.” Meanwhile, Trump says they weren’t alarmists enough.
Perhaps he wasn’t paying attention.
Tom Zirpoli is the program coordinator of the Human Services Management graduate program at McDaniel College. His column appears on Wednesdays. Email him at tzirpoli@mcdaniel.edu.