We just passed 6 million cases, and it didn't have to be like this -- if we'd had a leader

We just passed 6 million cases, and it didn't have to be like this — if we'd had a leader
Another grim milestone to remind us how tragically Donald Trump has failed. He had an opportunity, and ran away

BOB CESCA
SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 11:00AM (UTC)


(Salon) The United States this week surpassed 6 million cases of COVID-19, the most in the world. Even when measuring relative to population, America's standing is dismal and depressing. We're currently ranked 10th in the world with 18,675 cases per million people, and growing by 30-50,000 new cases every day. As I begin to write this essay, midday on Monday, we've already racked up 14,151 cases for the day so far.

Just for the sake of contrast, Italy is ranked 60th in cases per million residents. France is ranked 63rd. Germany is 83rd. Iraq is ranked 49th. Canada is 76th. Again, the U.S. is ranked 10th. There are "shithole countries," as Trump called them, who are faring better than we are.

In case the Red Hat trolls jump into the comments to rubber-stamp Donald Trump's nonsense about how we have the most cases because we do the most testing, the U.S. is ranked 18th in testing per million residents, far from the most in the world (per million), yet we're 10th in cases, and 11th in deaths. Denmark, on the other hand, is 13th in testing, meaning it does more testing than we do, but it's ranked 82nd in cases and 55th in deaths (all per million residents). If Trump were right, and testing artificially increased cases and deaths somehow, Denmark would have many more cases and deaths per million than we do. It doesn't. We still have more. Many more.

It's difficult to verbalize how mortifying and inexcusable this is.

Trump can't shut up about making America great again. But based on his response to the pandemic alone, we're not even close to being great. We're not even greatness-adjacent. ...........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2020/09/01/we-just-passed-6-million-cases-and-it-didnt-have-to-be-like-this--if-wed-had-a-leader/