May 21. 2020: it has been 47 days since I wrote this post. It is as true now as it was on April 4, 2020.
Every time I watch one of Donald Trump’s coronavirus briefings it makes me want to cry. We have 100s of thousands of superbly trained, highly competent, deeply committed healthcare workers every day who work on saving people who have contracted COVID-19 infections while not having a clean face mask to put on, a clean protective gown, simple hospital supplies like nasal swabs, and a test to diagnose whether someone has contracted the disease.
The national stockpile of relevant equipment is either empty because the Executive Branch of the federal government forgot to purchase needed items or the federal government is hoarding it. Our non-functional national stockpile of medical supplies and equipment is now being managed by the President’s son-in-law, an individual with no healthcare training, and who has engaged in various shady financial dealings in the past 10 years.
The level of incompetence is so high it is unbelievable. The president announces a new voluntary CDC recommendation to wear a face mask and then states that he will not look good while he is sitting at his Resolute Desk meeting with kings, queens, and dictators so he will not wear one. He tells us megarich individuals who own professional sports teams want us to come out to their mega-stadiums and sit shoulder-to-shoulder.
Trump always fails to explain how special our healthcare workforce is and never expresses the truth that he has asked them to work in very hazardous conditions by not purchasing medical protective clothing and shields.
We need to issue presidential orders to make needed protective and treatment equipment and supplies by a specified deadline or go to jail. Make companies who fail to produce needed supplies and equipment ineligible for any emergency funds or rebuilding assistance. The basic logic is that if a company refused to make need equipment and supplies need to save patients and healthcare workers they are ineligible for financial assistance.
The mind map shown provides a status report on where we are today, April 4, 2020.
