Astonishment and alarm
People outside the US are surprised that we’re doing such a staggeringly bad job of preventing the virus from exploding.
With confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. hitting 5 million Sunday, by far the highest of any country, the failure of the most powerful nation in the world to contain the scourge has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe.
We’ve always been crap on the social justice, equality, fairness side, but we were good on the techy side. Now? We’re Major Kong riding the nuke down, waving his hat and hollerin’.
Much of the incredulity in Europe stems from the fact that America had the benefit of time, European experience and medical know-how to treat the virus that the continent itself didn’t have when the first COVID-19 patients started filling intensive care units.
… “We Italians always saw America as a model,” said Massimo Franco, a columnist with daily Corriere della Sera. “But with this virus we’ve discovered a country that is very fragile, with bad infrastructure and a public health system that is nonexistent.”
Yup! That’s how we roll!
Trump’s frequent complaints about Dr. Anthony Fauci have regularly made headlines in Europe, where the U.S. infectious-disease expert is a respected figure. Italy’s leading COVID-19 hospital offered Fauci a job if Trump fired him.
It’s a good thing Trump can’t fire him, or we can be confident he would have.
Damn, lucky Dr. Fauci, to live in Italy and not have to even look for work? I’m not sure I could pass that up. On the slim chance Donnie Dipshit steals the election, I’ll bet he gives that offer due consideration.
Our local paper managed to carry this story, and they do their best to keep as far away from the COVID story as they can while still remaining relevant as a newspaper (I’m not sure how relevant they are these days, but…)