America Isn’t Actually Doing So Badly Against Coronavirus
The U.S., like all countries, has made its share of mistakes, but that doesn’t make it a “failed state.”
Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images
We don’t have enough tests for Covid-19 in the U.S. President Donald Trump spent weeks minimizing the threat and still makes comments that undermine his own administration’s public-health efforts. Congress has not supplied sufficient funding for relief efforts, and left town without making provision to vote remotely if needed. Some politicians have shown culpable ignorance about the epidemic, while others have overreacted in self-defeating ways.
Americans have a lot of legitimate complaints about the response to the coronavirus. The complaints are worth voicing. Criticism of mistakes can lead to fixing them, or at least preventing their recurrence. (Granted, an opinion columnist has a vested interest in saying that.)