New York About to Surpass Italy As Hardest Hit by Coronavirus
Are New Yorkers finally realizing that coronavirus is a serious public health crisis? | Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
- Donald Trump and many Americans appear unaware that one of their states is about to become the hardest hit by coronavirus.
- Even as cases in New York surge, restrictions on movement are extremely relaxed.
- The blaze attitude toward coronavirus will likely have disastrous consequences.
Coronavirus, it seems, is still a distant threat to some Americans. But as they preach about their right to freedom while clinging to the constitution and health insurance cards, the ground is crumbling beneath them.
Despite ongoing coronavirus updates, many are incapable of seeing that the threat is on their doorstep.
Coronavirus in the USA
Why shouldn’t they feel that way? President Trump has been keen to underscore the nation’s ability to keep the spread of coronavirus under control. After all, the nation has just 91 cases per 1 million inhabitants. In Italy, that figure is a whopping 866 .
But what these Americans don’t understand is that their massive population doesn’t insulate them from the tsunami that’s coming.
New York state, the worst affected in the nation, is about to overtake Italy as the hardest hit location in the world.
New York, which has a population of 19.5 million, is dealing with 15,168 confirmed cases as of Sunday night. That’s 778 per million people, not far behind Italy.
Social Distancing and Isolation Ignored
What’s more, New Yorkers are still out and about. This weekend Governor Andrew Cuomo announced tighter restrictions that will shut down non-essential local businesses and manufacturers in an effort to slow the spread.
In Italy, where the virus is at best one day ahead of where it is in New York, businesses have been shut down for nearly two weeks .
Not only should that frighten New Yorkers into isolation, it should prompt the rest of the nation to willingly baton down the hatches as well.
Travel in and out of New York City is largely unrestricted at this point . The U.S. clamped down on travel from Italy over a week ago long before the nation’s number of cases got anywhere near where they are in New York.
While the rest of the world is able to compare number of cases relatively easily, it’s important to remember that most U.S. states are roughly the same size as entire European countries. Donald Trump and many Americans are letting the U.S.’ massive population mask what’s really happening in their country.
America has been Blind to Coronavirus
What’s happening now in New York—overwhelmed hospitals, a lack of medical personnel and inadequate equipment, is a grim preview of what’s to come .
Simple math and a bit of logic indicate that America’s healthcare system won’t be able to cope with the onslaught of new patients.
So as Spring Breakers party and celebrities continue with business as usual, the rest of the world will watch in horror as the nation is consumed by a virus it could have contained.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
