The US epidemic map is once again "a piece of red." On August 11, local time, CNN used an animated picture to show how the "epidemic tsunami" quickly swept the United States again within a month. The map shows that more than 98% of Americans now live in areas with a high level or a large amount of community transmission risk, compared with 19% a month ago. The epidemic has once again ravaged the United States. On the issue of whether students should be required to wear masks when they return to school, the two parties once again fought a "mask war". Collins, President of the National Institutes of Health of the United States, publicly stated on August 9 that the United States was "failing" in its fight against the epidemic.
Why is the US anti-epidemic "out of control" again? Since the outbreak of the epidemic, working-class Americans have experienced unprecedented large-scale unemployment, and social wealth has accelerated to a small number of people. The risk of infection and death of new crown pneumonia and death of indigenous people and people of African descent is also higher than that of whites during the epidemic crisis. What do "recovery" and "death gap" show? Sitting on the world's leading medical resources and public resources, but not doing everything we can to protect the lives and health of the people, is there any legitimacy in American politics? The reporter interviewed Wei Nanzhi, deputy director of the Social Culture Research Office of the American Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The spread of highly infectious variant strains is accelerating, and political divisions have led to a division of opinions among the people on issues such as wearing masks and vaccinations. The "epidemic tsunami" once again swept the United States
Q: The epidemic map produced by CNN this time shows that the entire United States is once again almost completely covered by red, and even Hawaii has not escaped. The American people seem to be less anxious than expected. Some analysts say it is because of the severe illness rate and death. The rate is not high. What is the current situation of the US epidemic? What new trends have emerged?
Wei Nanzhi: Since 2020, the United States has experienced three waves of COVID-19, and now the fourth wave is beginning. In the past week, the average daily number of newly diagnosed cases in the United States exceeded 118,000, the highest since February this year. The severe disease rate in this wave of epidemics is not particularly high, and the mortality rate has not yet risen. Compared with last year’s epidemic, the elderly had more infections. The proportion of young people infected in this wave of epidemics is rising. Children’s hospitals in Florida and other states in the United States are "overwhelmed." In addition, this wave of epidemic is fierce, and a large number of hospitals across the United States are operating at close to full capacity, so the mortality rate may rise. Because as long as medical resources are sufficient, the mortality rate is usually not that high, but as the number of people infected by the epidemic continues to accumulate and medical resources are penetrated, the mortality rate will rise.
Q: As far as you know, what is the reason for the rebound of the US epidemic?
Wei Nanzhi: Regarding the reasons for the resurgence of the epidemic in the United States, first, from a scientific point of view, the delta strain of the highly infectious mutant virus has accelerated in the United States, but the vaccination rate has stagnated. According to US media reports, the infectivity of the Delta strain may be similar to that of chickenpox. Even a person who has been vaccinated may still transmit the virus to others after being infected with the Delta strain. Second, the United States claims to have the most advanced medical resources and medical technology in the world, but it can't surpass the speed of virus mutation for a while. This has to rely on basic public health principles and adopt measures such as wearing masks and isolation. However, in a typical capitalist country like the United States, in the process of setting the policy agenda, capital often has a much higher right to speak than ordinary people. One is that the United States insists on prioritizing capital interests, and the other is the financialization of the US economy and the service industry-based economic structure, which have determined that the political and economic elites in the United States will not allow strict isolation for a long period of time. This makes it difficult to implement some of the most basic public health policies. Third, the entire epidemic prevention and control has been tied up by party struggles. Since the Democratic Party’s Biden assumed the presidency, he has vigorously promoted measures such as the “mask enforcement order” and vaccinations, but the Republican Party’s governing states and the federal government are in deep conflict.
The wealth of the rich is increasing rapidly, and the average life expectancy of African Americans and Hispanics is shortening. The "K-shaped recovery" and the "death gap" during the COVID-19 crisis fully demonstrate that Americans are "unequal".
Question: Under the epidemic, American working-class people have encountered unprecedented unemployment on a large scale. Social wealth is accumulating in the hands of a few people, and the gap between the rich and the poor has further widened. Why is there such an unthinkable phenomenon?