The US Debate Over Covid: A Complex Truth
The US debate over Covid is highly politicised, making it difficult to discuss why the US fared so poorly. Here's a look at the complex truth behind the usual takes.
Prof Francois Balloux
Director @UGI_at_UCL. Interest in Infectious disease epidemiology, pathogen genomics and global health Mastodon account: @FBalloux@genomic.social
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The US debate over Covid does my head in. The extreme politicisation of every aspect precludes any debate about why the US fared so poorly. From the outside, the truth looks so much more complex (and yet simple) than the usual takes of "Trump did it" or "lockdowns did it".
— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) April 6, 2023
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Trump is just a bogeyman here. He's a germophobe, he pushed for strict restrictions (stay at home orders and border closures) until he realised this wasn't so popular with his base. I can't stand the guy but claiming he wanted to 'let it rip' is silly.
— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) April 6, 2023
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What is even more extraordinary is that he, and his administration pushed for rapid Covid vaccination of the population at risk, with the programme being delayed by some of his opponents, for political gain and clout.
— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) April 6, 2023
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The "it's all due to lockdowns" side is equally delusional. The exceptionally long school closures in parts of the US were an unmitigated disaster, but otherwise 'lockdowns' cannot be blamed for all that's gone wrong in the US response.
— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) April 6, 2023
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A while ago, I made that joke:
— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) April 6, 2023
"Who's idea was it to stage a pandemic during a US election year?"
I thought it was funny then, but it isn't really anymore. The situation is getting pretty tragic. I really hope people in the US will come to their senses soon.
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To clarify, my perception of the US over the last years may be biased as it came largely through media / Twitter - I haven't been in the US since 2019.
— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) April 6, 2023
I appreciate that actual people in the US may be, on average, far more sensible than their online avatars on social media.
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