Public Health: One, Economic Recovery: Two
Unprepared for this crisis, the world is in shock,
All will be different, no turn back clock.
Appearing as one crisis, it is actually two,
Public Health: One, Economic Recovery: Two.
A gift has been given to those who survive,
For Better Country/Better World . . . survivors can now strive.
© Forrest W. Heaton 14 May 2020
This is a follow-up post to our 16 & 24 May Four Necessities posts. In those posts, we stated there are four necessary action requirements for responsible leaders worldwide at the federal, state and local levels of their respective countries:
1 Trust the scientists.
2 Tell the truth.
3 Strengthen government effectiveness.
4 Develop cooperation—domestic & international.
These four action necessities apply to the TWO simultaneous worldwide threats facing the planet’s 7.8 billion people—1) Climate Crisis and 2) Coronavirus Crisis. Today’s post deals with the second of the two: Four Necessities – Coronavirus Crisis. And, as the above poem describes, for effective resolution, the Coronavirus crisis needs to be addressed in two parts as described below.
Coronavirus Crisis – Part A) Public Health Crisis. Knowledge of this virus is a work-in-process as is the worldwide results reporting. An estimated 5.5 million people worldwide have contracted Coronavirus. Of those, an estimated 347,000 have died. As of this writing 26May, the U.S. leads all countries in Coronavirus deaths—current average of various estimates: 98,000. Think about this: the U.S.’s 331 million people represent 4% of the world’s population . . . yet our Covid-19 deaths to date represent 28% of worldwide Covid-19 deaths! Recent modeling advises that if the U.S. Federal Government had acted just two weeks earlier, an estimated 50% of the U.S. deaths could have been avoided—the lives of 54,000 people could have been saved! If this post were to spend even a moment on our perceived list of U.S. Federal Government inaction/fragmented action and how it likely has led to a significant portion of these deaths, this post would become a “rant.” No thanks. This space is focused on successful resolution of this crisis.
Coronavirus Crisis – Part B) Economic Recovery Crisis. Witnessing the highly contagious nature of this virus and resulting staggering illnesses/deaths, the nations of the world implemented quarantines/social distancing to reduce transmission. These locked-down economies, although partially successful in pandemic containment, have been devastating to worldwide economic (and mental) health. Through 31 March, approximately 46 million Americans had been laid off or furloughed, approximately 30% of the U.S. labor force. Repairing this damage will be complicated and, unfortunately, take much longer than currently forecasted.
A review of one potential solution will follow next week in our final of four posts on this topic.
