It was feasible in Feb & March. But HHS screwed up the tests. So we tried to stop the spread so we might again have a shot at test-and-trace. But we gave up too soon on that so all we did was cut-off the economy at the knees. Now we're going to get maximum deaths and a limping economy.
MAGA my ass.
Tbfh. I am not sure what the strategy was or there even was one. All successful countries have spent efforts on containment first and last. (Test, identity, trace, track, map them then isolate.) The desired outcome with containment is to keep the numbers low so that its manageable --- and it doesn't stress the healthcare system out to provide the best care possible per patient so that your fatality rates will be low. That's the ultimate litmus test of how a country is managing this -- fatality rate per case.
In that sense, the US isn't doing that badly or approx 5% of all cases are fatal -- compared to Italy's 13%. (But Italy as a combination of Italy style management, an ageing population and the caseload overwhelming the existing healthcare system's ability to provide quality care per patient.)
Its a question of where it is on the curve and whether there is another curve.
The more you test, the numbers will always go up. The issue then is, how do you manage it and not stress out your healthcare system which will then throw any fatality projections out of the window.
Thus, the critical importance of trying to keep the numbers low and manageable from the start. Thus containment strategy's logic.
Preparation should have started in Mid-Jan. Nobody in the world has the resources -- financially, technically and human etc than the US. Period. Nobody. Its been proven many times. Post 9/11 being the most recent.
And yet...
Its an issue of leadership. That's the bottom-line.
I have said many times, we have
an unserious person for a serious job.
If resources were mobilised back in January and the communications clear and not politicised, then the results would have been vastly different.
The is zero reasons otherwise, for the wealthiest nation on earth to have 1/3rd of all cases in the world and 1/4 of all deaths -- and even that may rise depending position on the curve/s the country at. Doctor friends of mine are shaking their heads in unison wondering why this is the case.
