Why COVID-19 Is Snatching American Lives

More than a quarter of the world’s cases are in the U.S.

Hundreds of thousands of people have already tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the U.S., and tens of thousands of people have died. According to these figures, the country has firmly taken the top spot in the global martyrology. It’s no coincidence, then, that an unprecedented state of national emergency has been declared in all 50 states.

An avalanche of hygiene recommendations has swamped the Americans. Experts are tirelessly explaining to people how to wash their hands and how many times per day this should be done, how important it is to observe social distancing, when, where and who should be wearing masks, and so on. The importance of all this advice and these recommendations is hard to overemphasize, but few are openly talking about the hidden rocks lurking beneath the water, upon which the ship of American society has finally crashed. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

The first rock. In emergency situations, democracy is insufficiently effective. However, out of inertia, the governors of a number of states are making recommendations rather than giving orders. Any reasonably strict decision regarding quarantine or the requirement to wear a mask is accompanied by caveats which ultimately cancel out the decision itself. Stay-at-home orders may well be in place, but you can still visit relatives and friends, go for a walk and go shopping. Wearing a mask is compulsory, but it doesn’t apply to those who experience trouble breathing. Caveats are, of course, necessary, but in a critical situation they are perhaps inappropriate.

The second rock. For historical and socioeconomic reasons, the conditions in the U.S. were already ripe for the “perfect storm,” which was described in relation to a particular state of being by Sebastian Junger in his bestseller of the same name. Today, however, this “storm” has broken out on a nationwide scale.

There are various ethnic groups in the country, and their living conditions are highly diverse. The next Current Population Survey, which will give a more exact picture of the makeup of American society, is scheduled for this year. In the meantime, we can use data that are currently available. Approximately 15% of the population is made up of African Americans, but in several Southern states this figure is 46%. Approximately 20% of the population is Latin American, but in Florida, California, New York and Massachusetts, this figure is closer to 40%. Immigrants from Asian countries mainly live in the Western states and New York. However, the principal issue lies not in the geographic distribution of minority groups, but rather in the fact that the standards of living in the zones where they are based are seriously lagging behind standards enjoyed by the majority of Americans, who are of European heritage.

It is obvious now that the pandemic is, first and foremost, affecting ethnic minorities. In this regard, the statistics recently published by The New York Times concerning the spread of COVID-19 in New York City’s boroughs are telling. Queens has taken the biggest hit: There are 12 cases per 1,000 people. Latin Americans make up around 37% of the general population in this borough, while immigrants from Asian countries make up 22% and African Americans, 14%. In the neighboring area of East Elmhurst, which has the second highest number of cases, the figures are 64%, 12% and 15%, respectively. People descended from European settlers form an absolute minority in both areas.

Medical professionals are trying to understand whether immunity depends on ethnic background or the availability of vaccinations. But the crux of the matter, in my view, lies in the gap between financial means, lifestyles and the level of access to health care insurance. As far as the latter is concerned, the existing system is simply tailored to the problem. The average American has the opportunity to receive quality health care if he or she (or their employer) pays for expensive insurance and is in a position to use part of their income. (This is typically more than $1,000.) According to data produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 49% of Americans are guaranteed health care insurance by their employers. But what about the rest? Not to mention those with low incomes and the officially unemployed or those living in the country illegally? Many of them are suffering from diseases such as obesity, hypertension and asthma, etc., which automatically puts them into the high-risk category.

The government, which is supposed to take care of its citizens, has transferred this task to private insurance companies and employers, who rarely offer applicants permanent jobs in an attempt to avoid having to pay for health care. At best, they offer contract work that exempts the employer from any obligations except paying a salary.

The third rock. By adopting what seemed to be the attractive slogan “Make American Great Again,” Donald Trump’s administration is responsible for spreading xenophobia in the United States, as well as a sense of mistrust with regard to immigrants in the country illegally. Instead of reforming the archaic health care system, agencies got caught up in the prospect of building a wall on the border with Mexico. And in following the president, the population is gradually becoming convinced that crime and the lack of jobs stem from an influx of immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

Yes, this problem exists. According to estimates, approximately 11 million people are in the United States without legal status. They are hiding from the authorities and working (those who can) for miserable compensation that carries no assurances. Under Barack Obama, there was the prospect of amnesty for immigrants in the U.S. illegally which promised them legal status, but this is not the case today. Under current conditions, is it really possible to suggest that someone in this position should turn to a hospital if they show the first symptoms of the disease, and then, at best, receive a bill for many thousands of dollars for treatment and along with a deportation notice? Or is it possible to suggest that someone invite the prospect of being sent to an immigration detention center where the virus is already rampant? Those who have the disease will continue to infect relatives and those around them; however, for fear of exposing themselves, they will certainly not go to the doctor. Therefore, the daily reports about the scale of the pandemic do not reflect the true state of the situation. The way things are going, the chances of survival for the disadvantaged and the marginalized are not high. And it is their bodies, which, in most cases, will be unclaimed, that will be filling New York City landfills.