As China started reporting fast-spreading viral infections and related deaths at the end of 2019, the world was far from ready to tackle a pandemic of an unprecedented scale. America was no exception. When the COVID-19 virus reached the US shores in the third week of January 2020, the country struggled to cope despite having a robust healthcare system and infrastructure in place.
As cases multiplied, travel restrictions, social distancing, and lockdown came into play. Notwithstanding the quick preventive measures, 200,000 lives perished by the end of September. The second wave hit harder. The daily infections tally breached the 300,000-mark and fatalities hovered around 4,000.
But as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. With no experience of dealing with a health crisis of this magnitude, the response might have been a bit slow but the results were quick.
A massive vaccine push and tireless efforts of the medical fraternity played a key role in flattening the curve. The US has been hit by the pandemic the hardest. But the bounce back is exemplary. What was once a runaway crisis is now kept on a tight rein.
Let’s have a look at the Top 5 factors that helped the US tide over the virus surge.
1. Early Work on Vaccines
Within months of the pandemic outbreak, the world knew that vaccines would be the strongest weapon to take on the dreaded virus. The US became the flag-bearer of vaccine development with early initiatives, which turned out to be one of its biggest success stories of the pandemic. Three vaccines were developed in record time. The first two to be authorized were developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, and Moderna. Both showed an impressive 95 percent efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection. The third on the list is a single-shot vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson with 85 percent efficacy in preventing severe illness. All three gave a major push to efforts for preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
2. Aggressive Vaccination Drive
The biggest vaccination drive in US history got underway in mid-December. A month later, the White House had a change of guard. The new President, Joe Biden, pledged to deliver 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office and signed an executive order that included increasing vaccination supplies. Having achieved the goal well before the 100 days deadline, the President promised to deliver enough vaccines for every adult in the country by the end of May. The US has backed its promises with actions. In what reflected his predecessor Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ approach, the Biden administration decided not to export any vaccine, unlike the European Union, India, and Russia. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US had administered 279,397,250 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and distributed 351,955,515 doses. Over 38% of Americans are already fully vaccinated while more than 48% have received at least one shot.
3. Biden’s Rescue Plan
Within hours of stepping into the Oval Office, Biden announced an emergency legislative package to fund vaccinations, provide immediate and direct relief to the families bearing the brunt of the pandemic, and support the struggling communities. On March 11, Biden signed a $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, clearing the way for stimulus checks and vaccine aid. The move helped many Americans stay home as the plan sent direct payments of up to $1,400 to most of them. The bill will also extend a $300 per week unemployment insurance boost until September 6 and expand the child tax credit for a year. The stimulus also put nearly $20 billion into Covid-19 vaccinations, $25 billion into rental and utility assistance, and $350 billion into the state, local, and tribal relief.
4. Focus on Ventilators
Unlike most countries, the US administration realized the importance of ventilators in the fight against COVID-19 in the initial days of the outbreak. Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany had pointed to ventilator management as an administration accomplishment in its handling of the pandemic. The previous Trump administration spent billions of dollars on contracts for new ventilators. Trump invoked the 70-year-old Defense Production Act to make auto giant General Motors switch to ventilator production and streamline supply-chain issues for other manufacturers. Early focus on ventilator stock ensured enough supply even during the peak surge. In his speech back in April, the then President boasted: “We became the king of ventilators, thousands and thousands of ventilators.”
5. Healthcare Workers Lead From the Front
Cometh the hour cometh the man! This is probably the best line to describe the critical role played by the healthcare professionals in the war on COVID-19. They lacked the experience to handle a crisis of such a massive magnitude. They faced unprecedented levels of sickness and death. But they did not let any of it come in their line of duty. They stepped up when it mattered the most even as the virus ravaged hospitals. As cases peaked, both the medical facilities and the staff were stretched to the limit. But giving up was never an option for them. Instead, they improved their skills and techniques to treat the never-seen-before disease. Despite losing colleagues, they bravely continue to hold the fort.
Conclusion: Collective efforts have started to pay off. The latest CDC guideline that the fully vaccinated can go maskless in public places is been seen as the first step toward the pre-Covid-19 world. However, there is still a long way to go before we breathe freely in a normal world. Having come so far, the government, citizens, and the medical fraternity must continue the work to stay on track.
