The horse was already over the hills

[Loren Pechtel]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/15/health/coronavirus-all-of-us-blood-survey/index.html

Covid was already in the US in 2019--before even China was aware of it. Nothing China did makes much of any difference to what happened. His Flatulence couldn't have stopped it, either. The only thing that actually matters is his screaming about the supposed Chinese arsonist rather than getting out the hoses and fighting the fire.

 

[TomC]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/15/health/coronavirus-all-of-us-blood-survey/index.html

Covid was already in the US in 2019--before even China was aware of it. Nothing China did makes much of any difference to what happened. His Flatulence couldn't have stopped it, either. The only thing that actually matters is his screaming about the supposed Chinese arsonist rather than getting out the hoses and fighting the fire.

There's something very tragic and blameworthy here, that doesn't get mentioned much.

Many years ago, the increasing likelihood of such a pandemic was becoming clear. The explosion of global business and international jet travel was making the possibility of a pathogen that spread around the world more likely every day.

The Bush Administration recognized this and dealt with it. They created a top level committee tasked with watching out for U.S. security, from the standpoint of a pandemic. It was like the Defense Department protecting U.S. interests.

The epidemiological committee had two basic tasks.
A) Monitoring the world for potential threats.

B) Planning for various scenarios before they had come into existence.

It's quite like the military. The DOD are constantly monitoring for potential threats and making plans for possible scenarios, even when they're still highly unlikely. I'm sure there are a dozen different plans for countering an invasion from Canada by the Quebecois. Unlikely as the possibility is, the USA would be prepared.

The Bush administration formed this defensive committee. The Obama administration continued it. The Trump administration ended it.

The result was that when C19 hit, the USA was caught completely flat footed. The top leadership had no idea it was even there, much less what to do to protect USA interests. They went straight into "cover your ass and lie" mode. "It's no worse than a cold". "We have drugs that will take care of it". "We'll have the country open again in time for Easter shopping". "It's just a Democrat hoax." "We don't need masks or sanitizer or social distancing, those are against freedom."

The result was multiple disasters. The economy was disrupted. Social relationships were disrupted. The health care system was disrupted. The list of disasters that could have been avoided or minimized by effective governance is pretty long.

And it all traces back to Trump and his TeaParty supporters having less interest in the USA than their own personal interests.
Tom

 

[Keith&Co.]

I'm sure there are a dozen different plans for countering an invasion from Canada by the Quebecois. Unlikely as the possibility is, the USA would be prepared.

No lie. The military forgets nothing. When we started patrolling rivers in Viet Nam, they dusted off the playbooks from river fighting during the Civil War.

Hopefully, the epidemiological committee also learned from our mistakes. Where we had three missiles pointed at the city of Moscow, Idaho, they might be regularly updating the protocols for an outbreak of homesickness in deployed military troops.


But if the

 

[TomC]

Hopefully, the epidemiological committee also learned from our mistakes.

Let's hope there is one.

I expect that Biden already has plans for an ongoing committee to monitor and plan for further threats. He's obviously a much better leader than Trump. But I haven't heard about it yet.

The thing is, struggling with C19 doesn't mean that there isn't another threat brewing somewhere. A pathogen could be mutating into something awful anywhere from Chicago to rural Kenya to Mumbai as we post.
Tom

 

[Politesse]

Already done. Global Health Security and Biodefense wasn't ended altogether, just vacated; those positions were refilled the first week Biden was in office. It will also be getting a major funding boost in 2022, provided the Republicans don't manage to strip Biden's proposed budget of that particular line item. Hopefully this would be an unpopular hill to die on even for them?

As for other global pathogens festering, they already are, too; there's a virulent strain of cholera that has been traveling around for about 3 years now, killing millions of people in various wartorn regions serviced by the UN and Red Cross and seemingly being spread by their volunteers; it's only a matter of time before it explodes here as well. Similarly, the Zika virus is spreading rapidly and relatively little is being done about it outside of Central America, despite the fervent warnings of epidemiologists. Ebola remains as much a threat as it ever was, and will re-erupt on the same cycle as previously. And finally, you've got influenza, which was always a serious threat and still is. If our nation lacks the political will to consistently combat a virus that has actively killed >600,000 of our citizens in two years, you can imagine the frustration of trying to urge action something that is yet only a potential threat, however serious.

 

[TomC]

Already done. Global Health Security and Biodefense wasn't ended altogether, just vacated; those positions were refilled the first week Biden was in office. It will also be getting a major funding boost in 2022, provided the Republicans don't manage to strip Biden's proposed budget of that particular line item. Hopefully this would be an unpopular hill to die on even for them?

As for other global pathogens festering, they already are, too; there's a virulent strain of cholera that has been traveling around for about 3 years now, killing millions of people in various wartorn regions serviced by the UN and Red Cross and seemingly being spread by their volunteers; it's only a matter of time before it explodes here as well. Similarly, the Zika virus is spreading rapidly and relatively little is being done about it outside of Central America, despite the fervent warnings of epidemiologists. Ebola remains as much a threat as it ever was, and will re-erupt on the same cycle as previously. And finally, you've got influenza, which was always a serious threat and still is. If our nation lacks the political will to consistently combat a virus that has actively killed >600,000 of our citizens in two years, you can imagine the frustration of trying to urge action something that is yet only a potential threat, however serious.

Yay!

Biden is so much better than Florida Man.
Tom

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/health/fauci-prototype-vaccines.html

Fauci is already proposing a program to use modern technology to create a plan to have a large family of dangerous viruses analyzed and ready to create vaccines if the become a critical situation as fast ans scientifically possible. The problem is funding, meaning fighting the GOP Senators and representatives.
Other experts have suggested that new technology could make it possible to create a new vaccine for a dangerous virus in 100 days.

Progress is possible. And the medical community is learning from this fiasco.

 

[untermensche]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/15/health/coronavirus-all-of-us-blood-survey/index.html

Covid was already in the US in 2019--before even China was aware of it. Nothing China did makes much of any difference to what happened. His Flatulence couldn't have stopped it, either. The only thing that actually matters is his screaming about the supposed Chinese arsonist rather than getting out the hoses and fighting the fire.

Nobody thinks Trump could have stopped it.

But he downplayed the danger deliberately.

He created most of the anti-mask anti-vax madness.

He killed thousands.

When you do that you usually get away with it.

 

[TomC]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/health/fauci-prototype-vaccines.html

Fauci is already proposing a program to use modern technology to create a plan to have a large family of dangerous viruses analyzed and ready to create vaccines if the become a critical situation as fast ans scientifically possible. The problem is funding, meaning fighting the GOP Senators and representatives.
Other experts have suggested that new technology could make it possible to create a new vaccine for a dangerous virus in 100 days.

Progress is possible. And the medical community is learning from this fiasco.

It's not all about the medical science. That could have been done much better. But it's not the big problem. We have vaccines, plenty for everyone(in the USA). But a huge percentage of the population refuse it.

The biggest problem is the psychology. It was in so many people's best interests to lie about the medical science that Americans are choosing to continue the disaster rather than end it.
Tom

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

I like the idea that medical science is getting organized and serious about vaccines. Being as prepared as possible for future outbreaks using the latest and best scientific techniques honed by the Covid-19 response. Plus getting more vaccine producers ready to roll, even in those third world nations still not getting vaccines.

We should not let moron politicians and right winged media try to hobble this effort.

 

[Jarhyn]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/health/fauci-prototype-vaccines.html

Fauci is already proposing a program to use modern technology to create a plan to have a large family of dangerous viruses analyzed and ready to create vaccines if the become a critical situation as fast ans scientifically possible. The problem is funding, meaning fighting the GOP Senators and representatives.
Other experts have suggested that new technology could make it possible to create a new vaccine for a dangerous virus in 100 days.

Progress is possible. And the medical community is learning from this fiasco.

It's not all about the medical science. That could have been done much better. But it's not the big problem. We have vaccines, plenty for everyone(in the USA). But a huge percentage of the population refuse it.

The biggest problem is the psychology. It was in so many people's best interests to lie about the medical science that Americans are choosing to continue the disaster rather than end it.
Tom

I expect that it is a result of active ideological warfare that made it so. We need treaties that guarantee pitched cooperative violent response to any government or other entity which is revealed to be engaging in ideological warfare in such a way.

It has caused a massive global event of disastrous proportion. It needs to end, and if it will not end through reason then it will have to end some other way.

 

[TomC]

I expect that it is a result of active ideological warfare that made it so. We need treaties that guarantee pitched cooperative violent response to any government or other entity which is revealed to be engaging in ideological warfare in such a way.

While I'm sure that foreign players were part of the U.S. problem, I'm confident that they weren't the main one. Rather, they took advantage of a huge weakness in the USA.
Partisanship.

What we'd need to do is unite the Democrats and Republicans against a common enemy.

Good luck.
Tom

 

[Toni]

I like the idea that medical science is getting organized and serious about vaccines. Being as prepared as possible for future outbreaks using the latest and best scientific techniques honed by the Covid-19 response. Plus getting more vaccine producers ready to roll, even in those third world nations still not getting vaccines.

We should not let moron politicians and right winged media try to hobble this effort.

Getting organized and serious about vaccines????

What rock have you been under????

Medical science was not caught flat footed and in fact, developed and produced multiple highly effective vaccines against this threat in record time.

Medical science has saved us all and was only hindered by an incompetent egomaniac who was gleefully supported by our country's enemies, foreign and domestic.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I like the idea that medical science is getting organized and serious about vaccines. Being as prepared as possible for future outbreaks using the latest and best scientific techniques honed by the Covid-19 response. Plus getting more vaccine producers ready to roll, even in those third world nations still not getting vaccines.

We should not let moron politicians and right winged media try to hobble this effort.

It's only now that what they are talking about with preemptive vaccine development is even possible, this isn't a case of finally getting serious about it.

In the past vaccines could only be developed for specific diseases. Precautionary vaccine development wasn't a possibility. It's only with the advent of the mRNA vaccines that it becomes even possible. The vaccines they develop will never be used. The intent is to have a framework in place so when something nasty develops they can take one of those vaccines off the shelf, rewrite the targeting so it goes after the new bug and deploy it. That's why we have Covid vaccines so quickly--they took a SARS vaccine that has never been used in even a phase 1 trial and wrote new targeting info into it.