Jump to content

United States responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Dicklyon (talk | contribs) at 15:29, 6 October 2022 (rm comma per MOS:JR and sfn fixes (via WP:JWB)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The United States' response to the COVID-19 pandemic with consists of various measures by the medical community; the federal, state, and local governments; the military; and the private sector. The public response has been highly polarized, with partisan divides being observed and a number of concurrent protests and unrest complicating the response.

Medical response

Initial response outside the U.S.

On January 6, a week after the U.S. was informed about the outbreak in China, both the Health and Human Services department and the CDC offered to send a team of U.S. health experts to China.[1][2] According to CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, the Chinese government refused to let them in, which contributed to the U.S. getting a late start in identifying the danger of their outbreak and containing it before it reached other countries.[3] Secretary Alex Azar said China did notify the world much sooner than it had after their SARS outbreak in 2003, but it was unexplainably turning away CDC help for this new one.[4]

On January 28, the CDC updated its China travel recommendations to level 3, its highest alert.[1] Azar submitted names of U.S. experts to the WHO and said the U.S. would provide $105 million in funding, adding that he had requested another $136 million from Congress.[5][4] On February 8, the WHO's director-general announced that a team of international experts had been assembled to travel to China and he hoped officials from the CDC would also be part of that mission.[6][4] The WHO team consisted of thirteen international researchers, including two Americans, and toured five cities in China with twelve local scientists to study the epidemic February 16–23.[7] The final report was released on February 28.[8]

In late January, Boeing announced a donation of 250,000 medical masks to help address China's supply shortages.[9] On February 7, The State Department said it had facilitated the transportation of nearly eighteen tons of medical supplies to China, including masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials.[10] On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo announced a $100 million pledge to China and other countries to assist with their fights against the virus.[11]

On February 28, the State Department offered to help Iran fight its own outbreak, as Iran's cases and deaths were dramatically increasing.[12][13] Iran said, however, that U.S. sanctions were hampering its battle with the disease, which the U.S. denied, saying that Iran had mishandled the crisis.[14]

Testing

Testing for SARS-CoV-2 can allow healthcare workers to identify infected people. It is also an important component of tracking the pandemic. There are various types of tests currently on the market; some identify whether or not a patient is currently infected, while others give information about previous exposure to the virus.

A report published in January 2021 revealed that a Chinese firm, BGI Group, was attempting to distribute its COVID-19 testing kits to at least 11 states in the US. The U.S. intelligence and security officials raised warnings about the security risks involved in using these kits, as BGI was trying to use the patients' DNA, via the gene-sequencing machines that were being pitched to the U.S. labs. However, federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as the United States Department of Health and Human Services were pushing the states to use the BGI testing kits, despite such warnings. Besides the 11 states, Nevada received the Chinese-made testing kits from Abu Dhabi's data and artificial intelligence firm, Group 42, in collaboration with BGI. Some of the testing supplies were used in Nevada, but states like Alabama, South Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania didn't purchase the BGI kits.[15][16]

Contact tracing

Contact tracing is a tool to control transmission rates during the reopening process. Some states like Texas and Arizona opted to proceed with reopening without adequate contact tracing programs in place. Health experts have expressed concerns about training and hiring enough personnel to reduce transmission. Privacy concerns have prevented measures such as those imposed in South Korea where authorities used cellphone tracking and credit card details to locate and test thousands of nightclub patrons when new cases began emerging.[17] Funding for contact tracing is thought to be insufficient, and even better-funded states have faced challenges getting in touch with contacts. Congress has allocated $631 million for state and local health surveillance programs, but the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security estimates that $3.6 billion will be needed. The cost rises with the number of infections, and contact tracing is easier to implement when the infection count is lower. Health officials are also worried that low-income communities will fall further behind in contact tracing efforts which "may also be hobbled by long-standing distrust among minorities of public health officials".[18]

As of July 1, only four states are using contact tracing apps as part of their state-level strategies to control transmission. The apps document digital encounters between smartphones, so the users will automatically be notified if someone they had contact with has tested positive. Public health officials in California claim that most of the functionality could be duplicated by using text, chat, email, and phone communications.[19]

Drug therapy development

March 3: President Trump and Anthony Fauci visit the Vaccine Research Center and the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health.

In the United States, remdesivir is indicated for use in adults and adolescents (aged twelve years and older with body weight at least 40 kilograms (88 lb)) for the treatment of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization.[20] In November 2020, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the combination of baricitinib with remdesivir, for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalized people two years of age or older requiring supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).[21] As of August 2020, there were more than 500 potential therapies for COVID-19 disease in various stages of preclinical or clinical research.

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine

In early March, President Trump directed the FDA to test certain medications to discover if they had the potential to treat COVID-19 patients.[22] Among those were chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which have been successfully used to treat malaria for over fifty years. A small test in France by researcher Didier Raoult had given positive results, although the study was criticized for design flaws, small sample size, and the fact that it was published before peer review.[23] One of Didier's COVID-19 studies was later retracted by the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.[24]

On March 28, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) which allowed certain hospitalized COVID-19 patients to be treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine.[25][22][26][27] On June 15, the FDA revoked the EUA for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as potential treatments for COVID-19. The FDA said the available evidence showed "no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery". On July 1, the FDA published a review of safety issues associated with the drugs, including fatal cardiac arrhythmias among other side effects.[28]

In late July, President Trump continued to promote the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. This contrasted with the position of the NIH, which stated the drug was "very unlikely to be beneficial to hospitalized patients with COVID-19".[29]

Vaccine research, development, and deployment

From early 2020, more than 70 companies worldwide (with five or six operating primarily in the U.S.) began vaccine research.[30][31] In preparation for large-scale production, Congress set aside more than $3.5 billion for this purpose as part of the CARES Act.[32][31] On August 5, 2020, the United States agreed to pay Johnson and Johnson more than $1 billion to create 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The deal gave the U.S. an option to order an additional 200 million doses. The doses were supposed to be provided for free to Americans if they are used in a COVID-19 vaccination campaign.[33]

BIO, a trade group including all makers of coronavirus vaccines except AstraZeneca, tried to persuade Secretary Azar to publish strict FDA guidelines that could help ensure the safety and public uptake of the vaccine. Politics impacted scientific practice, however, when the chief of staff Mark Meadows blocked the FDA when it was realized that the timing of the provisions would make it impossible for a vaccine to be authorized before the November election.[34][35] Ultimately, the guidelines emerged[36] from the Office of Management and Budget and were published on the FDA website.[37]

On November 20, 2020, the Pfizer–BioNTech partnership submitted a request for emergency use authorization for its vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),[38][39] which was granted on December 11.[40][41] On December 18, 2020, the FDA granted the Moderna vaccine emergency use authorization,[42][43] which Moderna had requested on November 30, 2020.[44][45]

Starting on December 14, 2020, the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered.[46] The CDC and each state keep track of the number of vaccines administered.[47]

After taking office in January 2021, new president Joe Biden signed an executive order to increase production and distribution of vaccines, aiming to have a hundred million doses administered within his first 100 days in office.[48] On February 13, 2021, the CDC published data showing that 50.6 million doses had been administered to 37 million people, 13 million fully vaccinated and the rest awaiting their second dose.[49]

In an address on March 11, 2021, Biden announced that he would push for all states to make vaccination available universally to all adults no later than May 1 and announced other planned initiatives to enhance and widen distribution.[50]

Medical supply shortages

April 13: Protest by National Nurses United over lack of personal protective equipment at UCLA Medical Center

The first known case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was confirmed by the CDC on January 21, 2020.[51] The next day, the owner of the medical supply company Prestige Ameritech wrote to HHS officials to say he could produce millions of N95 masks per month. In a follow-up letter on January 23, the business owner informed the government that "We are the last major domestic mask company," without success.[52]

On February 5, Trump administration officials declined an offer for congressional coronavirus funding. Senator Chris Murphy recalled that the officials, including Secretary Azar, "didn't need emergency funding, that they would be able to handle it within existing appropriations."[53] On February 7 Mike Pompeo announced the administration donated more than 35,000 pounds of "masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials" to China the same day the WHO warned about "the limited stock of PPE (personal protective equipment)".[51]

In February, the Department of Commerce published guidance advising U.S. firms on compliance with Beijing's fast-track process for the sale of "critical medical products", which required the masks shipped overseas to meet U.S. regulatory standards.[54][55] According to Chinese customs disclosures, more than six hundred tons of face masks were shipped to China in February.[56]

In early March, the country had about twelve million N95 masks and thirty million surgical masks in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), but the DHS estimated the stockpile had only 1.2 percent of the roughly 3.5 billion masks that would be needed if COVID-19 were to become a "full-blown" pandemic.[57] A previous 2015 CDC study found that seven billion N95 respirators might be necessary to handle a "severe respiratory outbreak".[58]

As of March, the SNS had more than 19,000 ventilators (16,660 immediately available and 2,425 in maintenance), all of which dated from previous administrations.[59] Vessel manifests maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed a steady flow of the medical equipment needed to treat the coronavirus being shipped abroad as recently as March 17. Meanwhile, FEMA said the agency "has not actively encouraged or discouraged U.S. companies from exporting overseas" and asked USAID to send back its reserves of protective gear for use in the U.S.[60][61] President Trump evoked the Defense Production Act to prohibit some medical exports.[62] Some analysts warned that export restrictions could cause retaliation from countries that have medical supplies the United States needs to import.[63]

May 21: President Trump traveled to the Ford Rawsonville Components Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan to tour the factory where ventilators were being produced.

By the end of March, states were in a bidding war against each other and the federal government for scarce medical supplies such as N95 masks, surgical masks, and ventilators.[64][65][66] Meanwhile, as states scrambled to purchase supplies at inflated prices from third party distributors (some of which later turned out to be defective), hundreds of tons of medical-grade face masks were shipped by air freight to foreign buyers in China and other countries.[56]

Medical organizations such as the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association implored Trump to obtain medical supplies, because they were "urgently needed".[67][68] That led President Trump to sign an order setting motion parts of the Defense Production Act, first used during the Korean War, to allow the federal government a wide range of powers, including telling industries on what to produce, allocating supplies, giving incentives to industries, and allowing companies to cooperate.[69][70] Trump then ordered auto manufacturer General Motors to make ventilators.[71]

During this period, hospitals in the U.S. and other countries were reporting shortages of test kits, test swabs, masks, gowns, and gloves (collectively referred to as PPE.)[72][73][74] The Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report regarding their March 23–27 survey of 323 hospitals. The hospitals reported "severe shortages of testing supplies", "frequently waiting seven days or longer for test results", which extended the length of patient stays, and as a result, "strained bed availability, personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies, and staffing". The hospitals also reported, "widespread shortages of PPE" and "changing and sometimes inconsistent guidance from federal, state and local authorities".[75] At a press briefing following the release of the report President Trump called the report "wrong" and questioned the motives of the author. Later he called the report "another fake dossier".[76]

In early April, there was a widespread shortage of PPE, including masks, gloves, gowns, and sanitizing products.[77] The difficulties in acquiring PPE for local hospitals led to orders for gowns and other safety items being confiscated by FEMA and diverted to other locations, which meant that in some cases states had to compete for the same PPE.[78] Prices skyrocketed across the board, with PPE costing up to 10x more than normally.[79] The shortages led in one instance of a governor asking the New England Patriots of the NFL to use their private plane to fly approximately 1.2 million masks from China to Boston.[80] At that time, Veterans Affairs (VA) employees said nurses were having to use surgical masks and face shields instead of more protective N95 masks.[81] In May, Rick Bright, a federal immunologist and whistleblower, testified that the federal government had not taken proper action to acquire the needed supplies.[56]

An unexpectedly high percentage of COVID-19 patients in the ICU required dialysis as a result of kidney failure, about twenty percent.[82] In mid-April, employees at some hospitals in New York City reported not having enough dialysis machines, were running low on fluids to operate the machines, and reported a shortage of dialysis nurses as many were out sick with COVID-19 due to lack of sufficient PPE.[82][83][84]

On May 14, a Trump administration official told reporters "we do anticipate having 300 million" N95 masks by autumn; however, at the end of September, there were only 87.6 million N95 masks in the government stockpile.[85]

Supply problems persisted in August 2020, when a survey reported 42 percent of nurses were experiencing widespread or intermittent shortages of personal protective equipment, with 60 percent using single-use equipment for five or more days.[86] A September report by National Public Radio found some items were in short supply but others widely available, depending on the difficulty of manufacturing.[87] The DPA was effective in producing ventilators but less so in producing N95s. As of September, the DPA had stimulated N95 production mainly by existing major manufacturers and less so by smaller companies. Additionally, the DPA's provision that exempts manufacturers from antitrust laws had not yet been used to encourage collaboration in N95 production.[88]

In response to demand, many domestic businesses retooled and due to lack of federal coordination ended up producing a glut of hand sanitizer and face shields, some losing money due to oversupply or lack of distribution. Retooling and individual emergency supply making accounted for the production of at least 34.2 million pieces of PPE in the U.S., 14.5 million of which were face shields.[89] The federal government used the Defense Production Act to get a small number of large manufacturers such as 3M and Honeywell to increase production of the more difficult to manufacture N95 masks, but supply was still falling hundreds of millions of units short of demand. NPR found the shortage could be resolved by providing government guarantees to small and medium-sized manufacturers so they could increase production of N95 masks without the risk of losing money or going out of business due to oversupply or drop in demand when the pandemic ends. Instead, President Trump has denied the PPE shortages exist, calling them "fake news" in April[90] and in September saying "we've opened up factories, we've had tremendous success with face masks and with shields."[87] Demand has also increased since the early weeks of the pandemic as various industries reopened, including medical and dental offices, construction, and trucking.[91] The 2020 California wildfires also increased demand for N95 masks for agricultural and other outdoor workers, due to state regulations requiring protection during poor air quality conditions.[92]

The San Diego-based hospital ship Mercy arrived in Los Angeles in late March to help treat non-coronavirus patients.

Exceeded hospital capacity

Uncontrolled community spread led some medical facilities to refuse new patients or start transferring patients out. In March and April, this happened in the Detroit, Michigan area[93] and New York City area;[94] Yakima, Washington in June;[95] and in July, it happened in Houston,[96] the Boise, Idaho area,[97] Lake Charles and Lafayette, Louisiana,[98] and at dozens of hospitals across Florida.[99] By August, some hospitals in Mississippi were transferring patients out of state.[100]

Arizona declared crisis standards of care in July 2020, allowing hospitals to legally provide treatment normally considered substandard to some patients in order to save others.[101]

In January 2021, Southern California hospitals began to be overwhelmed with patients. Officials in Los Angeles County, where some ambulances had to wait up to eight hours to discharge patients at emergency rooms, ordered EMTs not to bring a patient to the hospital if that patient had little chance of survival. They also directed crews to take measures to conserve medical oxygen.[102]

A testing team responds to a confirmed case in a nursing home in Charleston, West Virginia.

Federal, state, and local governments

The federal government of the United States responded to the pandemic with various declarations of emergency, which resulted in travel and entry restrictions. They also imposed guidelines and recommendations regarding the closure of schools and public meeting places, lockdowns, and other restrictions intended to slow the progression of the virus, which state, territorial, tribal, and local governments have followed.

Effective July 15, 2020, the default data centralization point for COVID-19 data in the U.S. is switching from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Department of Health and Human Services.[103][104][105] However, "hospitals may be relieved from reporting directly to the Federal Government if they receive a written release from the State stating the State will collect the data from the hospitals and take over Federal reporting."[103]

Military

On February 3, an unclassified U.S. Army briefing document on the coronavirus projected that in an unlikely "black swan" scenario, "between 80,000 and 150,000 could die." The theory correctly stated that asymptomatic people could "easily" transmit the virus, a belief that was presented as outside medical consensus at the time of the briefing. The briefing also stated that military forces could be tasked with providing logistics and medical support to civilians, including "provid[ing] PPE (N-95 Face Mask, Eye Protection, and Gloves) to evacuees, staff, and DoD personnel".[106][107]

USNS Comfort, docked in Manhattan
The members of the Florida National Guard support Feed Tampa Bay in their efforts to distribute food to the local community.

In mid-March, the government began having the military add its health care capacity to impacted areas. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), under the authority of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), leased private buildings nationwide. They included hotels, college dormitories, and larger open buildings, which were converted into temporary hospitals. The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City was quickly transformed into a 2,000-bed care facility on March 23, 2020.[108] The Army also set up field hospitals in various affected cities.[109]

Some of these facilities had ICUs for COVID-19 patients, while others served non-coronavirus patients to allow established hospitals to concentrate on the pandemic.[110][non-primary source needed][109] At the height of this effort, U.S. Northern Command had deployed nine thousand military medical personnel.[109]

On March 18, in addition to the many popup hospitals nationwide, the Navy deployed two hospital ships, USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, which were planned to accept non-coronavirus patients transferred from land-based hospitals, so those hospitals could concentrate on virus cases.[111] On March 29, citing reduction in on-shore medical capabilities and the closure of facilities at the Port of Miami to new patients, the U.S. Coast Guard required ships carrying more than fifty people to prepare to care for sick people on board.[112][113]

On April 6, the Army announced that basic training would be postponed for recruits. Recruits already in training would continue what the Army is calling "social-distanced-enabled training".[114] However, the military, in general, remained ready for any contingency in a COVID-19 environment. By April 9, nearly 2,000 service members had confirmed cases of COVID-19.[115]

In April, the Army made plans to resume collective training.[116] Social distancing of soldiers is in place during training, assemblies,[117] and transport between locations.[118] Temperatures of the soldiers are taken at identified intervals, and measures are taken to immediately remediate affected soldiers.[119][120][121][122]

On June 26, 2020, the VA reported 20,509 cases of COVID-19 and 1,573 deaths among patients, plus more than two thousand cases and 38 deaths among its own employees.[123] As of July 2020, additional Reserve personnel are on "prepare-to-deploy orders" to Texas and California.[109]

Private sector

Many janitors and other cleaners throughout the United States reported that they were not given adequate time, resources, or training to clean and disinfect institutions for COVID-19. One pilot reported that less than ten minutes was allotted to clean entire airplanes between arrival and departure, which did not allow cleaners to disinfect the tray tables and bathrooms, for which the practice was to wipe down only those that "[look] dirty". Cleaning cloths and wipes were reused, and disinfecting agents, such as bleach, were not provided. Employees also complained that they were not informed if coworkers tested positive for the virus. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency that regulates workplace safety and health, investigated a small fraction of these complaints. Mary Kay Henry, president of Service Employees International Union, which represents 375,000 American custodians, explained that "reopenings happened across the country without much thoughtfulness for cleaning standards." She urged better government standards and a certification system.[124]

Public response

Partisan divide

Passengers wearing facemasks at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Polling showed a significant partisan divide regarding the outbreak.[125] In February, similar numbers of Democrats and Republicans believed COVID-19 was "a real threat": 70% and 72%, respectively. By mid-March, 76% of Democrats viewed COVID-19 as "a real threat", while only 40% of Republicans agreed.[126] In mid-March, various polls found Democrats were more likely than Republicans to believe "the worst was yet to come" (79–40%), to believe their lives would change in a major way due to the outbreak (56–26%),[127] and to take certain precautions against the virus (83–53%).[128] The CDC was the most trusted source of information about the outbreak (85%), followed by the WHO (77%), state and local government officials (70–71%), the news media (47%), and President Trump (46%).[128]

Political analysts anticipated that the pandemic would negatively affect Trump's chances of re-election.[129][130] In March 2020, when social distancing practices began, the governors of many states experienced sharp gains in approval ratings.[131] Trump's approval rating increased from 44 to 49 percent in Gallup polls,[132] but it fell to 43% by mid-April. At that time, Pew Research polls indicated that 65% of Americans felt Trump was too slow in taking major steps to respond to the pandemic.[133]

On April 16, Pew Research polls indicated that 32% of Americans worried state governments would take too long to re-allow public activities, while 66% feared the state restrictions would be lifted too quickly.[134] An April 21 poll found a 44% approval rate for the president's handling of the pandemic, compared to 72% approval for state governors.[135] A mid-April poll estimated that President Trump was a source of information on the pandemic for 28% of Americans, while state or local governments were a source for 50% of Americans. 60% of Americans felt Trump was not listening enough to health experts in dealing with the outbreak.[136][137]

A May 2020 poll concluded that 54% of people in the U.S. felt the federal government was doing a poor job in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the country. 57% felt the federal government was not doing enough to address the limited availability of COVID-19 testing. 58% felt the federal government was not doing enough to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 cases later in 2020.[138] A poll conducted May 20–21 found that 56% of the American public were "very" concerned about "false or misleading information being communicated about coronavirus", while 30% were "somewhat" concerned. 56% of Democrats said the top source of false or misleading information about the coronavirus was the Trump administration, while 54% of Republicans felt the media was the top source of false or misleading information.[139]

Studies using GPS location data and surveys found that Republicans engaged in less social distancing than Democrats during the pandemic.[140][141][142][143] Controlling for relevant factors, Republican governors were slower to implement social distance policies than Democratic governors.[144] There was a partisan divide over COVID vaccinations, with the counties that voted for Trump in greater shares having lower rates of vaccinations.[145]

Protests and public disruptions

Beginning in early April 2020, there were protests in several U.S. states against government-imposed lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[146][147] The protests, mostly organized by conservative groups and individuals,[148][149] decried the economic and social impact of stay-at-home orders, business closures, and restricted personal movement and association, and demanded that their respective states be "re-opened" for normal business and personal activity.[150]

The protests made international news[151][152] and were widely condemned as unsafe and ill-advised,[153] although some political figures expressed support for the protests.[154][155] They ranged in size from a few hundred people to a few thousand, and spread on social media with encouragement from former U.S. President Donald Trump.[154]

By May 1, 2020, there had been demonstrations in more than half of the states; many governors began to take steps to lift the restrictions as daily new infections began decreasing due to social distancing measures.[156]
An anti-lockdown protester wearing a face mask at the Ohio Statehouse in April 2020[157]

Starting in late May, large-scale protests against police brutality in at least two hundred U.S. cities in response to the murder of George Floyd raised concerns of a resurgence of the virus due to the close proximity of protesters.[158] Fauci said it could be a "perfect set-up for the spread of the virus",[159] and that "masks can help, but it's masks plus physical separation."[160] One study found an increase in cases,[161] while the Associated Press reported that there is little evidence for such an assertion.[162]

On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol building to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory.[163] At least one activist participated in the riot despite a recent positive COVID-19 diagnosis,[164] and few members of the crowd wore face coverings, with many coming from out of town.[163] A group of maskless Republicans sheltering in place were recorded refusing masks offered by Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE),[165] and as many as two hundred congressional staffers reportedly sheltered in various rooms inside the Capitol, further increasing the risk of transmission.[163][166] Four members of Congress have since tested positive after having sheltered in place with unmasked members of Congress during the January 6 Capitol riot.[167]

International views of the United States

In September 2020, Pew Research Center found that the global image of the United States had suffered in many foreign nations. In some nations, the United States' favorability rating had reached a record low since Pew began collecting this data nearly twenty years ago. Across thirteen different nations, a median of fifteen percent of respondents rated the U.S. response to the pandemic positively.[168]

Other

The outbreak prompted calls for the United States to adopt social policies common in other wealthy countries, including universal health care, universal child care, paid sick leave, and higher levels of funding for public health.[169][170][171]

Challenges

The American cultural values of individualism and skepticism of government have created difficulties in getting the population to abide by public health directives.[172] The prevalence of pandemic fatigue has resulted in further noncompliance.[173][174]

Conspiracy theories and misinformation reached millions of Americans through social media and television commentary.[175][176] As a result, many people believe falsehoods, for example, that wearing masks is dangerous, that a global syndicate planned the virus, or that COVID-19 is a hoax.[176][177] Facebook announced that it had labeled or deleted 179 million user posts containing COVID-19 misinformation during the first three quarters of 2020.[178] President Trump repeatedly broadcast misinformation to downplay the threat of the virus and to deflect criticism of the administration's response.[179] Trump asserted he did this to "show calm," saying "I don't want to create a panic."[180]

References

  1. ^ a b Farber, Madeline (January 28, 2020). "China spurned CDC offer to send a team to help contain coronavirus: US Health Secretary". Fox News.
  2. ^ "Trump offers to send health experts to China to help with coronavirus outbreak". The Hill. January 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "The Trump administration was slow to recognize coronavirus threat from Europe, CDC director admits". CNN. July 28, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "C.D.C. and W.H.O. Offers to Help China Have Been Ignored for Weeks". The New York Times. February 7, 2020.
  5. ^ "U.S. announces aid for China, other countries impacted by coronavirus". Reuters. February 7, 2020.
  6. ^ Bobby Allyn (February 8, 2020). "China's Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses SARS Pandemic". NPR. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Cohen, Jon (March 6, 2020). "Quarantined at home now, U.S. scientist describes his visit to China's hot zone". Science. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Kupferschmidt, Kai; Cohen, Jon (March 2, 2020). "China's aggressive measures have slowed the coronavirus. They may not work in other countries". Science. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  9. ^ "Boeing donating 250,000 medical masks to battle coronavirus in China". KOMO-TV. January 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "The United States Announces Assistance To Combat the Novel Coronavirus". U.S. Dept. of State. February 7, 2020.
  11. ^ Guzman J (February 7, 2020). "US pledges $100 million to help fight coronavirus in China". The Hill. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  12. ^ Hollie McKay (February 28, 2020). "Coronavirus in Iran prompts US to extend olive branch amid claim country's death toll far higher than reported". Fox News. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Wright, Robin (February 28, 2020). "How Iran Became a New Epicenter of the Coronavirus Outbreak". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  14. ^ "Coronavirus: Iran and the US trade blame over sanctions". BBC News. April 17, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  15. ^ "Chinese Covid-19 Tests Were Pushed by Federal Agencies Despite Security Warnings". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  16. ^ "US warned Nevada not to use Chinese COVID tests from UAE". Associated Press. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  17. ^ "Contact tracing may help avoid another lockdown. Can it work in the U.S.?". May 29, 2020.
  18. ^ Cunningham, Paige Winfield (June 15, 2020). "Analysis | The Health 202: U.S. isn't ready for the contact tracing it needs to stem the coronavirus". The Washington Post.
  19. ^ "New Contact Tracing Apps Need Access To Users' Private Data To Control Spread Of COVID-19". KPIX-TV. July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  20. ^ Commissioner, Office of the (October 22, 2020). "FDA Approves First Treatment for COVID-19". Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  21. ^ "Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Drug Combination for Treatment of COVID-19". Food and Drug Administration. November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  22. ^ a b "U.S. Moves to Expand Array of Drug Therapies Deployed Against Coronavirus". The Wall Street Journal. March 19, 2020.
  23. ^ Braun, Elisa (March 30, 2020). "In France, controversial doctor stirs coronavirus debate". Politico. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  24. ^ Villarreal, Daniel (April 10, 2020). "Hydroxychloroquine trial gets French president's attention as 460,000 sign petition supporting treatment". Newsweek. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  25. ^ "Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup March 30, 2020". Food and Drug Administration. March 30, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  26. ^ Koppock, Kristen (March 13, 2020). "FDA Announces Two Drugs Given 'Compassionate Use' Status in Treating COVID-19". Pharmacy Times. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  27. ^ Wise, Justin (March 30, 2020). "FDA issues emergency-use authorization for anti-malaria drugs amid coronavirus outbreak". The Hill. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  28. ^ Research, Center for Drug Evaluation and (June 26, 2020). "FDA cautions against use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to risk of heart rhythm problems". FDA – via www.fda.gov.
  29. ^ Gittleson, Ben; Phelps, Jordyn; Cathey, Libby (July 28, 2020). "Trump doubles down on defense of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 despite efficacy concerns". ABC News. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  30. ^ "COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine: Get the facts". Mayo Clinic. April 22, 2020.
  31. ^ a b Gottlieb, Scott (April 26, 2020). "America Needs to Win the Coronavirus Vaccine Race". The Wall Street Journal.
  32. ^ "Guide to the Cares Act". United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  33. ^ "Johnson & Johnson reaches deal with U.S. for 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine at more than $1 billion". CNBC. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  34. ^ LaFraniere, Sharon; Weiland, Noah (October 5, 2020). "White House Blocks New Coronavirus Vaccine Guidelines". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  35. ^ Armstrong, Drew; LaVito, Angelica (October 6, 2020). "FDA Sets Goals That May Put Vaccine Out of Reach Before Election". Bloomberg News.
  36. ^ Zimmer, Carl (October 6, 2020). "The F.D.A. has released stricter guidelines for vaccine developers after a holdup at White House". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  37. ^ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Food and Drug Administration: Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (June 2020). "Development and Licensure of Vaccines to Prevent COVID-19 Guidance for Industry". Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  38. ^ "Pfizer and BioNTech to Submit Emergency Use Authorization Request Today to the U.S. FDA for COVID-19 Vaccine". Pfizer (Press release). November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  39. ^ Park A (November 20, 2020). "Exclusive: Pfizer CEO Discusses Submitting the First COVID-19 Vaccine Clearance Request to the FDA". Time. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  40. ^ "FDA Takes Key Action in Fight Against COVID-19 By Issuing Emergency Use Authorization for First COVID-19 Vaccine" (Press release). U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  41. ^ Oliver SE, Gargano JW, Marin M, Wallace M, Curran KG, Chamberland M, et al. (December 2020). "The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' Interim Recommendation for Use of Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine – United States, December 2020" (PDF). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 69 (50): 1922–1924. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6950e2. PMC 7745957. PMID 33332292.
  42. ^ "FDA Takes Additional Action in Fight Against COVID-19 By Issuing Emergency Use Authorization for Second COVID-19 Vaccine". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Press release). Retrieved December 18, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  43. ^ Oliver SE, Gargano JW, Marin M, Wallace M, Curran KG, Chamberland M, et al. (December 2020). "The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' Interim Recommendation for Use of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine – United States, December 2020" (PDF). MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 69 (5152): 1653–1656. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm695152e1. PMID 33382675. S2CID 229945697.
  44. ^ "Moderna Applies for Emergency F.D.A. Approval for Its Coronavirus Vaccine". The New York Times. November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  45. ^ "Moderna Announces Primary Efficacy Analysis in Phase 3 COVE Study for Its COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate and Filing Today with U.S. FDA for Emergency Use Authorization". Moderna, Inc. (Press release). November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  46. ^ Pereira, Ivan (December 14, 2020). "US administers 1st doses of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine". ABC News. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  47. ^ Health (February 19, 2021). "At least 42.5 million people have received one or both doses of the vaccine in the U.S." The Washington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  48. ^ "100 Million Shots In 100 Days: Is Biden's COVID-19 Vaccination Goal Achievable?". NPR. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  49. ^ Marsh, Jenni; Jessie Yeung, Amy Woodyatt, Melissa Mahtani and Michael Hayes (February 14, 2021). "More than 50 million vaccine doses administered in the US, according to CDC". CNN. Retrieved February 14, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  50. ^ Sullivan, Sean. "Biden directs states to make all adults eligible for vaccine by May 1". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  51. ^ a b Obeidallah, Dean (March 30, 2020). "Trump administration sent protective medical gear to China while he minimized the virus threat to US". CNN.
  52. ^ Davis, Aaron C. (May 9, 2020). "In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. government turned down an offer to manufacture millions of N95 masks in America". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  53. ^ Smalley, Suzanne (March 27, 2020). "Senator says White House turned down emergency coronavirus funding in early February". news.yahoo.com.
  54. ^ "Commerce's COVID Service Flyer". The Washington Post.
  55. ^ "U.S. sent millions of face masks to China early this year, ignoring pandemic warning signs". The Washington Post. April 18, 2020.
  56. ^ a b c Fang, Lee (June 29, 2020). "The Airline Industry Blocked Disclosure of Trade Data, Helping Conceal the Airlift of N95 masks from the US to China". The Intercept.
  57. ^ Lovelace, Berkeley Jr. (March 4, 2020). "HHS clarifies US has about 1% of face masks needed for 'full-blown' coronavirus pandemic". CNBC. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  58. ^ Akpan, Nsikan (March 3, 2020). "U.S. has only a fraction of the medical supplies it needs to combat coronavirus". National Geographic. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  59. ^ Gore, D'Angelo (June 22, 2020). "Trump Inherited More Ventilators Than Have Been Distributed". FactCheck.org. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  60. ^ "Pence taskforce freezes coronavirus aid amid backlash". Politico.
  61. ^ "Key Medical Supplies Exported From U.S. to Foreign Buyers". Theintercept.com. April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  62. ^ "3M Says White House's Request to Stop Exporting Masks Would Reduce U.S. Supplies". Time. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  63. ^ "Borders Didn't Stop The Pandemic. But They Might Block The Trade Of Medical Goods". NPR.
  64. ^ Forgey, Quint; Choi, Matthew (March 27, 2020). "Trump downplays need for ventilators as New York begs to differ". Politico. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  65. ^ "The Ventilator Shortage That Wasn't". National Review. April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  66. ^ Biesecker, Michael (April 7, 2020). "US 'wasted' months before preparing for coronavirus pandemic". Associated Press. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  67. ^ Naughton, Hailey; Naughton, Keith (March 22, 2020). "Trump Baffles Ford, GM Over Ventilators They're Willing to Make". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  68. ^ O'Reilly, Kevin (March 31, 2020). "Why stronger federal leadership is needed to buy, distribute PPE". American Medical Association. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  69. ^ Vazquez, Maegan (March 18, 2020). "Trump invokes Defense Production Act to expand production of hospital masks and more". CNN. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  70. ^ Rizzo, Salvador (March 25, 2020). "Is Trump using the Defense Production Act?". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  71. ^ Watson, Kathryn (March 27, 2020). "Trump invokes Defense Production Act to require GM to produce ventilators". CBS News. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  72. ^ Diamond, Dan (March 21, 2020). "Short-term thinking plagues Trump's coronavirus response". Politico. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  73. ^ Adamczyk, Ed (March 27, 2020). "U.S. mayors say they're running out of supplies to fight coronavirus". United Press International. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  74. ^ Mccammon, Sarah. "Hospitals Reject Trump's Claim They Are 'Really Thrilled' With Supplies". NPR. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  75. ^ Grimm, Christi. "Hospital Experiences Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a National Pulse Survey March 23–27, 2020" (PDF). Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  76. ^ Robertson, Lori (April 7, 2020). "The HHS Inspector General Report". Factcheck.org. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  77. ^ Balmes, John R. (April 2, 2020). "Mask shortages are outrageous. The federal government needs to do better". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  78. ^ Levey, Noam (April 7, 2020). "Hospitals say feds are seizing masks and other coronavirus supplies without a word". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  79. ^ "Economic and Health Benefits of a PPE Stockpile". UC Berkeley Labor Center. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  80. ^ Asiamah, Nancy (April 3, 2020). "3 million masks ordered by Massachusetts were seized at Port of NY in March". WWLP 22 News. Boston, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  81. ^ Rein, Lisa (April 25, 2020). "VA health chief acknowledges a shortage of protective gear for its hospital workers". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  82. ^ a b "U.S. races to stock up on dialysis supplies as kidney failure ravages virus patients". Politico.
  83. ^ Abelson, Reed; Fink, Sheri; Kulish, Nicholas; Thomas, Katie (April 18, 2020). "An Overlooked, Possibly Fatal Coronavirus Crisis: A Dire Need for Kidney Dialysis" – via NYTimes.com.
  84. ^ "Doctors at Hard-Hit Hospitals Say They're Facing Shortage Of Dialysis Equipment". NPR.
  85. ^ Nazaryan, Alexander (September 29, 2020). "Trump promised 300 million N95 masks by September. He isn't even close". Yahoo! News. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  86. ^ News, Bloomberg (September 1, 2020). "Nurses Say They're Short on Masks, Other Protection Supplies – BNN Bloomberg". BNN. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  87. ^ a b "NPR Probes Why Personal Protective Equipment Is Still In Short Supply". NPR.
  88. ^ Contrera, Jessica (September 21, 2020). "The N95 shortage America can't seem to fix". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  89. ^ "DESIGN | MAKE | PROTECT" (PDF). Open Source Medical Supplies. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  90. ^ "Trump called PPE shortages 'fake news.' Health care workers say they're still a real problem". Politico.
  91. ^ Raymond, Adam K. (July 9, 2020). "Why Is There Still a PPE Shortage?". Intelligencer.
  92. ^ Doubek, James (September 14, 2020). "Wildfires Make Dangerous Air For Farmworkers: 'It's Like You Can't Breathe'". NPR.
  93. ^ "Henry Ford Health reaches capacity at 2 hospitals for COVID-19 patients". WJBK. March 25, 2020.
  94. ^ Rosenthal, Brian M. (July 21, 2020). "This Hospital Cost $52 Million. It Treated 79 Virus Patients". The New York Times.
  95. ^ "As Coronavirus Cases Surge, NPR Examines Hospital Capacity". NPR.
  96. ^ News, Charles Ornstein, ProPublica and Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC (July 10, 2020). "Houston hospitals are increasingly turning away new patients as coronavirus overwhelms emergency rooms". The Texas Tribune. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  97. ^ "In Idaho, One Of The Last States Hit By The Coronavirus, Cases Are Now Surging". NPR.
  98. ^ "Coronavirus Pushes Some Hospitals In Southern Louisiana To The Brink". NPR.
  99. ^ Gan, Nectar; Renton, Adam; Macaya, Melissa; Wagner, Meg; Hayes, Mike (July 29, 2020). "At least 54 hospitals have reached ICU capacity in Florida". CNN.
  100. ^ Shapiro, Ari; Pao, Maureen (August 3, 2020). "Mississippi On Track To Become No. 1 State For New Coronavirus Cases Per Capita". NPR. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  101. ^ Confair, Denelle (July 2, 2020). "Arizona under 'Crisis Standards of Care'; triage protocols in place". KVOA.
  102. ^ Chang, Ailsa (January 5, 2021). "'Things Are Worse Than People Think': LA County Official On New Directives For EMS". NPR. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  103. ^ a b "HHS (March 2020) COVID-19 Guidance for Hospital Reporting and FAQs For Hospitals, Hospital Laboratory, and Acute Care Facility Data Reporting – Updated July 10, 2020" (PDF). Hhs.gov. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  104. ^ Feuer, Will (July 16, 2020). "Coronavirus data has already disappeared after Trump administration shifted control from CDC".
  105. ^ Whelan, Robbie (August 11, 2020). "Covid-19 Data Reporting System Gets Off to Rocky Start". They pulled it away from CDC because it was updated three times a week, and now they update it once a week. ... HHS's estimated patient impact and hospital-capacity statistics, for example, weren't updated between August 3 and August 10.
  106. ^ James LaPorta; Spencer Ackerman (April 3, 2020). "Army Warned in Early February That Coronavirus Could Kill 150,000 Americans". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  107. ^ "PHC-P EMBLs shift gears to fight COVID-19". www.army.mil. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  108. ^ "N.Y.'s Javits Center to Add 2,000 Beds to System Under Strain". Bloomberg News. March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  109. ^ a b c d Brading, Thomas (July 16, 2020). "'Verge of collapsing': Soldiers describe the initial fight against COVID-19". Army News Service.
  110. ^ Srinivasan, Balaji S. (March 23, 2020). "Ok. It's just one clip. But it's by far the most intelligent thing I've heard any government official say in the last few months. Further increases the likelihood the military will take over COVID-19 response in the near future". twitter.com/usarmy. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  111. ^ "Hospital Ships, Other DOD Assets Prepare for Coronavirus Response". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  112. ^ Chappell, Bill (April 1, 2020). "Coast Guard Tells Cruise Ships With COVID-19 Cases To Stay Away From U.S. Ports". NPR. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  113. ^ "Marine Safety Information Bulletin 01-20" (PDF). March 29, 2020.
  114. ^ "U.S. Army Delays New Recruits' Basic Training Due To Coronavirus". NPR. April 6, 2020.
  115. ^ "'Terrible, Tragic Mistake:' Top General Warns Enemies Not to Test US Military Readiness". Military.com. April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  116. ^ Kimmons, Sean (April 30, 2020). "Army finalizing plan to resume collective training". Army News Service. Washington: United States Army. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  117. ^ "Fort Report Soldiers PCS During COVID-19". U.S. Army Fort Huachuca. April 2020. Permanent Change of Station (PCS)
  118. ^ Williams, Thom (April 20, 2020). "Soldier graduates to their new duty stations". U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence travel from Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
  119. ^ Harris, Audricia (April 26, 2020). "Statement from the Secretary of the Army on West Point graduation".
  120. ^ Schmitt, Eric; Karni, Annie (April 24, 2020). "Trump Speech to Bring 1,000 West Point Cadets Back to Campus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  121. ^ Baldor, Lolita C. (April 30, 2020). "Army defends decision to have West Point graduation". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. 1000 First Classmen divided into five cohorts, and quarantine physically separated before the graduation
  122. ^ OConnor, Brandon (May 20, 2020). "Plans in place to safely welcome Class of 2020 back to West Point". Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  123. ^ Shane, Leo III (June 26, 2020). "Grim COVID-19 milestones for Veterans Affairs: 20,000 cases, 1,500 deaths in the last 100 days". Military Times. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  124. ^ Kantor, Jodi (July 17, 2020). "No Bleach and Dirty Rags: How Some Janitors Are Asked to Keep You Virus Free". The New York Times.
  125. ^ Aleem, Zeeshan (March 15, 2020). "A new poll shows a startling partisan divide on the dangers of the coronavirus". Vox.
  126. ^ Allyn, Bobby; Sprunt, Barbara (March 17, 2020). "Poll: As Coronavirus Spreads, Fewer Americans See Pandemic As A Real Threat". NPR. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  127. ^ Murray, Mark (March 15, 2020). "Sixty percent believe worst is yet to come for the U.S. in coronavirus pandemic; Public attitudes about the coronavirus response are split along partisan lines in a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll". NBC News.
  128. ^ a b Weissmann, Jordan (March 17, 2020). "Democrats Are Being Much, Much More Careful About the Coronavirus Than Republicans". Slate.
  129. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Martin, Jonathan (March 12, 2020). "Trump's Re-election Chances Suddenly Look Shakier". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  130. ^ Lowrey, Annie (April 3, 2020). "The Economy Is Collapsing. So Are Trump's Reelection Chances". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  131. ^ Gabriel, Trip; Lerer, Lisa (March 31, 2020). "Who Are the Voters Behind Trump's Higher Approval Rating?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  132. ^ Jones, Jeffrey M. (March 24, 2020). "President Trump's Job Approval Rating Up to 49%". Gallup. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  133. ^ Rummler, Orion (April 17, 2020). "Gallup: Trump's approval rating takes its steepest drop". Axios. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  134. ^ Coleman, Justine (April 16, 2020). "Two-thirds of Americans worry states will lift restrictions on public activity too quickly: poll". The Hill. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  135. ^ "Most rate Trump's coronavirus response negatively and expect crowds will be unsafe until summer, Post-U. Md. poll finds". The Washington Post. April 21, 2020.
  136. ^ Pace, Julie; Fingerhut, Hannah (April 24, 2020). "AP-NORC poll: Few Americans trust Trump's info on pandemic". Associated Press. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  137. ^ "Assessing the President as an Information Source on the Coronavirus Outbreak". NORC at the University of Chicago. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  138. ^ Agiesta, Jennifer (May 12, 2020). "CNN Poll: Negative ratings for government handling of coronavirus persist". CNN. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  139. ^ Romano, Andrew (May 22, 2020). "New Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows coronavirus conspiracy theories spreading on the right may hamper vaccine efforts". Yahoo! News. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  140. ^ Allcott, Hunt; Boxell, Levi; Conway, Jacob; Gentzkow, Matthew; Thaler, Michael; Yang, David (August 6, 2020). "Polarization and Public Health: Partisan Differences in Social Distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic". Journal of Public Economics. 191: 104254. doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104254. ISSN 0047-2727. PMC 7409721. PMID 32836504.
  141. ^ Grossman, Guy; Kim, Soojong; Rexer, Jonah M.; Thirumurthy, Harsha (September 29, 2020). "Political partisanship influences behavioral responses to governors' recommendations for COVID-19 prevention in the United States". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117 (39): 24144–24153. doi:10.1073/pnas.2007835117. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 7533884. PMID 32934147. S2CID 221747080.
  142. ^ Gadarian, Shana Kushner; Goodman, Sara Wallace; Pepinsky, Thomas B. (April 7, 2021). "Partisanship, health behavior, and policy attitudes in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic". PLOS ONE. 16 (4): e0249596. Bibcode:2021PLoSO..1649596G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0249596. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 8026027. PMID 33826646.
  143. ^ Goldstein, Daniel A. N.; Wiedemann, Johannes (2021). "Who Do You Trust? The Consequences of Partisanship and Trust for Public Responsiveness to COVID-19 Orders". Perspectives on Politics: 1–27. doi:10.1017/S1537592721000049. ISSN 1537-5927. S2CID 234862422.
  144. ^ Adolph, Christopher; Amano, Kenya; Bang-Jensen, Bree; Fullman, Nancy; Wilkerson, John (2020). "Pandemic Politics: Timing State-Level Social Distancing Responses to COVID-19". Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. 46 (2): 211–233. doi:10.1215/03616878-8802162. PMID 32955556.
  145. ^ Ivory, Danielle; Leatherby, Lauren; Gebeloff, Robert (April 17, 2021). "Least Vaccinated U.S. Counties Have Something in Common: Trump Voters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  146. ^ "Coronavirus: Anti-Lockdown Protests Grow Across US". BBC News. 17 April 2020. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  147. ^ Andone, Dakin (April 17, 2020). "Protests Are Popping Up Across the US over Stay-at-Home Restrictions". CNN. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  148. ^ "How Trump allies have organized and promoted anti-lockdown protests". Reuters. April 22, 2020. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  149. ^ Wilson, Jason (April 17, 2020). "The rightwing groups behind wave of protests against Covid-19 restrictions". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  150. ^ Siegler, Kirk (April 18, 2020). "Across America, Frustrated Protesters Rally To Reopen The Economy". NPR. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  151. ^ "Coronavirus: Anti-Lockdown Protests Grow Across US". US & Canada. BBC News. April 17, 2020. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  152. ^ Vogel, Kenneth P.; Rutenberg, Jim; Lerer, Lisa (April 21, 2020). "The Quiet Hand of Conservative Groups in the Anti-Lockdown Protests". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  153. ^ "Michigan Militia Puts Armed Protest in the Spotlight". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 2, 2020. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  154. ^ a b Gearan, Anne; Wagner, John (May 1, 2020). "Trump expresses support for angry anti-shutdown protesters as more states lift coronavirus lockdowns". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  155. ^ Johnson, Martin (April 18, 2020). "Trump ally compares coronavirus protesters to Rosa Parks". The Hill. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  156. ^ Budryk, Zack (May 3, 2020). "Governors, experts await results of reopening states as protests continue". The Hill. Archived from the original on May 10, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  157. ^ Rouan, Rick (April 20, 2020). "Protesters at Statehouse demand state reopen as DeWine announces schools to remain closed". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  158. ^ "Protests could cause catastrophic setback for controlling coronavirus, experts say". NBC News. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  159. ^ Meek, Andy (June 7, 2020). "Dr. Fauci is worried that protestors may be spreading coronavirus". BGR.
  160. ^ "Fauci underscores concerns about protests spreading coronavirus". The Hill. June 10, 2020.
  161. ^ Valentine R, Valentine D, Valentine JL (August 5, 2020). "Relationship of George Floyd protests to increases in COVID-19 cases using event study methodology". Journal of Public Health. 42 (4): 696–697. doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdaa127. PMC 7454741. PMID 32756893.
  162. ^ Stobbe, Mike and Forester, Nicky (July 2, 2020). "Experts see little evidence that George Floyd protests spread coronavirus in U.S." San Jose Mercury News. Associated Press. Retrieved November 20, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  163. ^ a b c Villegas, Paulina; Chason, Rachel; Knowles, Hannah (January 8, 2021). "Storming of Capitol was textbook potential coronavirus superspreader, experts say". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  164. ^ Bonfiglio, Nahila (January 6, 2021). "Baked Alaska attends far-right election protest despite recent COVID-19 diagnosis". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  165. ^ Paulina Firozi, Amy B Wang & Mike DeBonis (January 10, 2021). "Lawmakers may have been exposed to the coronavirus in Capitol lockdown, attending physician says". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  166. ^ Ray, Siladitya (January 7, 2021). "Kansas Rep. Jake LaTurner Tests Positive For Covid-19 Hours After House Vote". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  167. ^ Diaz, Daniella (January 14, 2021). "Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat tests positive for Covid-19". CNN. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  168. ^ Wike, Richard; Fetterolf, Janell; Mordecai, Mara (September 15, 2020). "U.S. Image Plummets Internationally as Most Say Country Has Handled Coronavirus Badly". Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  169. ^ Miller, Claire Cain (April 10, 2020). "Could the Pandemic Wind Up Fixing What's Broken About Work in America?". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  170. ^ Swanson, Ian (May 2, 2020). "Five ways the coronavirus could change American politics". The Hill. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  171. ^ "America's botched response to the coronavirus is a problem bigger than Donald Trump". The Boston Globe.
  172. ^ Fukuyama, Francis (July 5, 2020). "Transcripts: Fareed Zakaria GPS". CNN (Cable News Network: Warner Media). Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  173. ^ World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe (2020). "Pandemic fatigue: reinvigorating the public to prevent COVID-19: policy considerations for Member States in the WHO European Region". World Health Organization. hdl:10665/335820.
  174. ^ Meichtry, Stacy; Sugden, Joanna; Barnett, Andrew (October 26, 2020). "Pandemic Fatigue Is Real – And It's Spreading". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  175. ^ Rothwell, Jonathan; Desai, Sonal (December 20, 2020). "How misinformation is distorting COVID policies and behaviors". The Brookings Institution. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  176. ^ a b Goodman, Jack; Carmichael, Flora (November 21, 2020). "The coronavirus pandemic 'great reset' theory and a false vaccine claim debunked". BBC News. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  177. ^ "Fact check: COVID-19 is not a hoax to eliminate Trump". Reuters. November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  178. ^ Wagner, Kurt (November 19, 2020). "Facebook Labeled 167 Million User Posts for Covid Misinformation". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  179. ^ Paz, Christian (November 2, 2020). "All the President's Lies About the Coronavirus". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  180. ^ Wise, Alana (September 9, 2020). "Trump Admits Playing Down Coronavirus's Severity, According To New Woodward Book". NPR. Retrieved December 1, 2020.