Members of the National Guard pause in the distance as the Javits Convention Center which is being turned into a hospital to help fight coronavirus cases on March 23, 2020 in New York City. (AFP photo)
The novel coronavirus is devastating Italy and causing fear and anxiety in the United States, according to Myles Hoenig, an American political analyst and activist.
The United States has launched a desperate diplomatic campaign to fill major shortcomings in the countrys medical system amid a rising death toll from the coronavirus.
The State Department instructed its top diplomats to urge Eastern Europe and Eurasias governments to ramp up exports of life-saving medical equipment to the United States in order to fill the shortcomings as the corona crisis is deepening.
There are over 46,000 coronavirus cases and at least 582 deaths in the US as of early Tuesday. Monday was the deadliest day in the United States as the Covid-19 disease caused more than 100 new deaths.
"During 9/11 the entire country was focused on one thing. People were scared and often reacted in illogical, irrational, and even racist ways. On the other hand, as a nation we stuck together for the greater good, even though most were led into a false direction that included war, invasion, and expansion of our empire. Before that the only time the nation was truly united was during WW2, where even families grew vegetables in their back yard, called ‘victory gardens as a way of supporting the war effort and to help morale," said Hoenig.
"Today the common enemy is a virus that is sweeping the country, in every state. There is no denying the extent of this and the news media is quick to announce how many deaths are occurring daily, much like the body count on the nightly news during the Viet Nam war. If it bleeds, it leads. We have long forgotten Rudy Guiliani and Ukraine, and even Joe Biden has disappeared from the media. We have a new focus of our attention," added Hoenig, a former Green Party candidate for Congress.
"There is no denying that this virus is serious. It is devastating Italy and causing fear and anxiety in the US. But the scale of this virus seems to be exaggerated. Many are dying and thats a tragedy, and whether its more or less than the average flu can only be determined when it runs its course. To date, there are about 300 deaths in the US, a miniscule amount compared to the average flu deaths in any year," he said in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday.
"Because this is new, it is unknown, and to paraphrase, and ignore, the warnings of President Roosevelt, the only thing we have to fear is the unknown. Many states are successfully in lockdown yet many people are ignoring orders to stay home and keeping a social distance. Florida beaches and Ocean City, Maryland have its crowds of young people, enjoying their extended holidays and vacation time from school or work. The mayor of Baltimore pleads for its citizens to stop killing each other in order to save space for beds in hospital ERs for virus patients. We are a mixed society where due to our individualism we feel we are invulnerable yet enough of us have a sense of community to see how each persons actions does affect others," he noted.
"There is also the politics of this virus and that alone takes this countrys reaction to the virus in many different trajectories. It will be a good while before anything looking like normality return to both our daily lives and the normal politics of the day," he concluded.
SOURCE: PRESS TV
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/14955
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