Policy Analysis of How the US Responded to Covid-19 - Essay Example

Policy Analysis of how the US responded to Covid-19

The novel coronavirus pandemic has proved to be a great test to a lot of the world economies. Its effects have been devastating both health-wise and economically, and many countries have taken unprecedented steps to curb this. Measures have been put in place to the most extreme to ensure that the virus does not set economies on an economic downhill.

The United States is the worst-hit country with confirmed infections running on the millions. Over one 150,000 deaths have already been recorded and even with the measures that have been put in place, statistics have implied that the end is still nowhere near. Some of the mitigation measures that have been put in place in response to this include travel bans, a shutdown on businesses as many people were being encouraged to do their work at home. Schools have closed down, several states have also declared a state of emergency, and there have been efforts to improve the government's capacity in testing. As in many other countries, these measures have had great economic impacts one being an increase in the unemployment rate, standing at 11.1% in June.

The first response of the US government to the entry of the virus in the country was to form a Task Force committee that was charged with the duty to monitor the spread of the virus and provide solutions to mitigate it. This was done on 27 January 2020 but was put in the public domain two days later. At the end of the month, it was clear that the virus was making its way into the communities and this led the federal government to declare a health emergency.

It started working on other measures as directed by the constitution amidst a pandemic crisis. The United States response to the virus worked around increasing the testing capacity. In order to make this possible, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a local testing kit instead of relying on the ones that were being distributed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Later on, it was discovered that the CDC’s testing kits had some complications and that its results could not be reliable. It was difficult for other forms of testing to be implemented because of the already set regulations. This greatly pulled back the fight against the disease, and by the end of the month of February, the US had only totaled 4000 coronavirus tests. This figure gave a wrong image of how far and wide the virus had actually spread, and the federal government would later present it as a justification of its effective efforts in curbing the virus.

Speculations in the actual spread of the virus led to the Center for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change their approach towards the matter. The CDC announced on increased its testing procedures on the 28th of February and the next day, the FDA would permit testing kits that have not been approved to be used. This move revealed the scale in which the disease had spread and the federal government quickly reacted by tightening their travel restrictions on foreigners who had been to Iran. The government encouraged the private sector to join in the fight as the US Congress approved of a $8.6 Billion to fund the research of a covid-19 vaccine and also help in the preparedness of the country in regards to the pandemic. There was an increase in the testing capacity but it was still insufficient for the general population.

The President’s remarks on the 11th of March on the state of affairs regarding coronavirus and a subsequent move by the government to declare a national emergency two days later is what steered a general effort towards the situation. Suddenly, mass testing was implemented far and wide and people started to take individual efforts of prevention like social distancing more seriously. Travel bans were employed on European countries and different crisis-level powers were implemented e.g. Defense Production Act. After more tests were permitted, it became clear on how far the virus had spread. On the 27th of March, the CARES Act was also approved to fund businesses and organizations with $2 Trillion in an effort to cushion the economic impact of covid-19.

Looking at the US response to coronavirus as a study case, a lot can be learned, both from what they did and what they failed to do. One, their effort to capacity build both in their testing and their treatment plan saw them working on locally made test kits which was more convenient and economically effective. In addition, the US converted a lot of its recreational spaces to health facilities for testing and bed capacity.

How the information reaches the general population is key to make sure that everyone is educated and gets proper information about the virus. Considering the variety of groups in the society including the millennials, people living with disabilities, the elderly, children, etc. it is appropriate that various tools are used to relay information and educate, for example the use of social media and animated advertisements. Unfortunately, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of false information was also spread among the people, and this brought about panic and chaos. Proper official channels should be put in place where people can get information

The US effort to prioritize on mass testing was also key to help give a clear picture of how far the virus had spread. They had by far done the most tests than many other countries owing to the huge number of confirmed cases that they recorded. Statistics have proven to be helpful during the coronavirus pandemic. They help the experts make important decisions which are aimed at mitigating the spread and such information is only possible through mass testing.

A number of regulations have also been relaxed to help cope with the situations. FDA’s approval of other testing kits assisted in the mass testing. In addition, they also loosened recommendations to permit private companies to manufacture parts of the ventilator which has become of an essential role during this pandemic. Such measures can steer innovations in technology and medicine to help in the fight.

A lot of small businesses have greatly been affected by the coronavirus. Whilst they are a great contributor to the health of an economy, it is only right that the government support such businesses through provisions of grants and low-interest loans to help them keep afloat.

Different countries have had to employ different measures in order to tackle the virus, but a lot has been learned. In the process, countries have had to boost their health sector through acquisition of important intensive care equipment and capacity. Also, a couple of innovations have also come up e.g. an app that tracks the spread of the virus in different locations and warns the residents. It also served a test of how well, the world as a whole is prepared in the wake of a pandemic of such magnitude.