Question

What do you think life will look like in the Greater US in 2021 after COVID 19?

Answer 1

Social distancing programs throughout the United States are introduced and applied in a fractured, inefficient manner. The federal government fully refuses to deploy a regional system of monitoring and touch tracing and coordinate distribution of essential medical supplies to urban hot spots.

Chronic PPE shortages persist as the pandemic worsens globally, causing a surge in demand while supply remains low. This leads to extremely high, prolonged rates of infection and death among health care staff, causing significant and permanent harm to the health care system and disrupting the national response for many months.

There is no development of successful treatments, health services are overloaded as the epidemic continues to spread, and the availability of essential medical equipment (e.g. PPE, ventilators, and ICU beds) does not fulfill the demand. Overwhelmed hospitals crash, deteriorating health conditions for both Covid-19 patients and all patients in hospitals (e.g., heart attack, cancer, stroke, traffic accidents) and rising overall mortality rates. In the United States the estimated number of Covid-19 deaths ranges from 1.5 million to 2.2 million by the end of 2021.

A safe and effective vaccine remains elusive, within 5-10 years. Natural immunity doesn't last long, leaving those who recover vulnerable to reinfection and preventing a healthy return to work and schools across large parts of the world. The stimulus packages are inadequate to avert significant and lasting economic harm. It nationalizes whole parts of the U.S. economy. When death rates increase and the economic crisis deepens, widespread, violent crime escalates, requiring a major U.S. military intervention.

By changing communities, nations, cultures, economies, norms, and governing structures, pandemics alter history. Political choices profoundly matter in deciding outcomes. We know what's needed: decisive action early, quickly. A shutdown for four to eight weeks which is as normal as possible. A unified command system rationalizing the economy and aiding states in obtaining essential medical supplies. A regional monitoring program for Covid-19, which manages comprehensive research and local touch tracing. Investment in experimental therapies and in new vaccines. Economic measures that provide a social safety net.