Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 200,000 in U.S. Amid Piecemeal Response

As the coronavirus death toll topped 200,000 in the U.S. on Tuesday, state and federal officials continue trying to stitch together a patchwork, uneven response amid changing guidance and messaging from the Trump administration.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins, the U.S. leads the rest of the world in total number of deaths from COVID-19 – more than 200,182 by 12 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday – and in total number of confirmed cases. America also has the 11th highest percentage of deaths per capita and the 54^th highest percentage of deaths per case.

The death toll passed the unfortunate marker just days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control did an about face on new guidelines issued on the transmission of the deadly virus.

On Friday, the CDC updated the language and guidance on its “How COVID-19 Spreads” webpage to include the conclusion that there is growing evidence that one of the most common ways the virus spreads is through aerosol transmission – that is to say, it is airborne.

“These particles can be inhaled into the nose, mouth, airways, and lungs and cause infection. This is thought to be the main way the virus spreads,” National Public Radio reported the CDC page said. And the infected particles “might travel farther than 6 feet.”

Researchers have speculated for months that this was the case and many spoke publicly in support of the changed CDC guidance on the topic, NPR reported.

On Monday, the CDC took it all back and revised the webpage again to say that COVID-19 is primarily spread through close contact via “respiratory droplets.” Agency officials said Friday’s revision was a mistake.

In July and August, the CDC waffled on testing guidelines. Originally, the agency said anyone who comes in contact with an infected person should get tested whether they exhibited symptoms of infection or not. In August, the agency’s website was updated to say testing was only recommended if a person who has been exposed to an infected individual then shows symptoms themselves.

Last week, the CDC guidance returned to recommending testing even for asymptomatic individuals who find they have been exposed to persons infected with COVID-19.

President Donald J. Trump, who has routinely criticized widespread COVID-19 testing and regularly advocates for less of it, has also been at odds with his administration’s health officials regarding the timeline for a vaccine and the efficacy of wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus. The result has been even more mixed messaging.

Recently Trump began stating publicly that a vaccine could be ready around Election Day, Nov. 3. Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the CDC, testified to Congress last week that a vaccine is not likely to be available until the second or third quarter of 2021 and that a mask is more reliable than a vaccine in preventing individual infections. Trump reacted to Redfield’s testimony by telling the media Redfield was confused and made a mistake.

Throughout the pandemic, the Trump administration has largely relied on governors to manage the response on a state-by-state basis, creating a piecemeal approach to procuring medical supplies, regulating business operations and handling decisions about schooling during the crisis.

Nationwide, more than 6.8 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported since the coronavirus pandemic began. Around the world, nearly 32 million cases have been reported. The U.S. has less than 5% of the globe’s population but more than 20% of the reported deaths, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Americans are dying at an average of 770 a day, as of this week.

In the nearly seven months since the crisis started, numerous class action lawsuits and legal actions have been filed related to the coronavirus pandemic nationwide by affected workers, businesses and private citizens – not to mention the family members of patients who suffered and died at nursing homes that were caught unprepared to deal with the spread of an unexpected infection.

Thousands more class action lawsuits involving claims of negligence and matters of workplace safety, insurance coverage and fraud, among other things, are likely in the months and years to come, legal experts say.

Have you been infected by COVID-19, or directly affected by the government’s response to the pandemic? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

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