One Virus, Two Americas

Democratic States have been modestly successful in reducing COVID-19 cases. Republican States have not. As a result, the entire country is at risk. There are three ways this can end.

Written by Cary Shepherd (J.D.) and William Riedl (Ph.D.)

Only six months after initial reports of a pneumonia-causing disease spreading in China’s Hubei province, SARS-CoV2 has caused over 10 million infections and 500,000 deaths worldwide. Across the planet, cases are on the rise. Associated with a broad range of symptoms — from subclinical and asymptomatic infections, to a mild flu-like respiratory illness, to severe respiratory disease necessitating ventilation support — COVID-19 has strained hospital systems and created enormous health and economic burdens across the globe. However, governmental responses to this crisis have been varied. In the United States, public policies employed to combat the virus have frequently ignored advice by public health experts, and as a result the US curve is trending upwards. But that is not the full story.