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Doctors and health officials in US coronavirus hotspots tell the same story: We’re being villainized and ignored while trying to save lives
Coronavirus cases and deaths are surging across the US. Officials and doctors in states with high case counts say they’re facing vitriol.
By Aria Bendix , Aylin Woodward , Hilary Brueck , and Susie Neilson
If North Dakota were a country, it would have the most coronavirus cases per capita in the world.
Nearly 9 out of every 100 people in the state have been infected.
Sherry Adams helps lead the state’s coronavirus testing response, a role she’s held since the pandemic started.
“We did our very first scenario for drive-thru testing on April 4, back in the good old days,” she told Business Insider. “We tested in the cold North Dakota wind, with three pieces of paper to keep track.”
Now the state’s electronic system handles around 300 to 400 tests per hour. Those who test positive are told to isolate for two weeks, an instruction many don’t like to hear.
“You get all sorts of threats — get yelled at, screamed at because we’re the evil people who put them in isolation and quarantine,” Adams said. “A lot don’t listen.”
