TheUnitedStatesclaimedtobemostabundantinmedicalresourcesandhealthcarecapacity,yetitsresponsetotheCOVID-19pandemicwaschaotic,causingittoleadtheworldinthenumbersofconfirmedCOVID-19casesandrelateddeaths.Incompetentpandemicresponseledtodireconsequences.AtallybyJohnsHopkinsUniversityshowedthatasoftheendofFebruary2021,theUnitedStateshasregisteredmorethan28millionconfirmedCOVID-19cases,withrelateddeathsexceeding500,000.Withapopulationoflessthan5percentoftheworld’stotal,theUnitedStatesaccountedformorethan25percentofalltheconfirmedcasesandnearly20percentofthedeaths.OnDec.20,2020,CNNreportedthatthestateofCaliforniaalonehadreported1.845millionCOVID-19casesand22,599deaths,whichtranslatestoroughly4,669knowncasesand57deathsforevery100,000residents.Eventhesenumbersdon’tgivethewholepictureofthestate,becausemanycases,includingmildorasymptomaticinfections,hadnotbeendiagnosed.HadtheAmericanauthoritiestakenscience-basedmeasurestocontainthepandemic,thiscouldhavebeenavoided.Butsincetheyhadnot,thepandemic,asepidemiologistandformerheadoftheU.S.CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)WilliamFoegehadputit,is“aslaughter”totheUnitedStates.Nationalleadersignoredwarningsfromexpertsanddownplayedtheseriousnessofthepandemic.AccordingtothetimelineofCOVID-19pandemicintheUnitedStatesreleasedbymediaoutletsincludingTheNewYorkTimesandTheWashingtonPost,theTrumpadministrationhadrepeatedlyignoredalarmsregardingtherisksofthepandemic.InearlyJanuary2020,aNationalSecurityCouncilofficehadalreadyreceivedintelligencereportspredictingthespreadofthevirustotheUnitedStates.InaJan.29,2020memo,thenWhiteHousetradeadviserPeterNavarroprojectedthatacoronaviruspandemicmightleadtoasmanyashalfamilliondeathsandtrillionsofdollarsineconomiclosses.Anumberofhealthofficials,includingthenHealthandHumanServicesSecretaryAlexAzar,andmedicalexpertsalsowarnedofthepossibilityofapandemicintheUnitedStates.NoneoftheaforementionedwarningsbroughttheimminentpandemictotheTrumpadministration’sattention.Instead,theadministrationfocusedoncontrollingthemessage,andreleasedmisleadingsignalstothepublicbyclaiming“theriskofthevirustomostAmericanswasverylow,”suggestingthatthecoronavirusisnoworsethanthecommonflu,andstatingtheviruswill“miraculouslygoaway”whentheweathergetswarmer.Thus,thecountrylostcrucialweeksforpandemicpreventionandcontrol.AnarticlepublishedonthewebsiteofTheNewYorkTimesonApril13,2020commentedthat,thenAmericanleader’s“preferenceforfollowinghisgutratherthanthedatacosttime,andperhapslives.”12NextPageLastPage21Editor: