In this post, I want to raise a question. Is the U.S. prepared for COVID-19?

Two days ago, I was in a local computer store. I go there often, so the employees recognize me. A young man assisted me and helped me with my smart phone. But while we talked, the subject of the coronavirus outbreak came up. He said he was concerned because he needed to work. If he was sick, he said got sick and stayed home, he wouldn’t be paid. He also said that he didn’t have health insurance. I realized that this young man was scared. Not only about getting the coronavirus, but what would happen to him financially.

There are more than 27 million Americans (8.5% of the population) who do not have health coverage. In addition, only 11 states and Washington D.C. provide sick pay. In this case, all businesses in sick leave states provide paid leave for sick employees.

The Uninsured

Prior to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there were about 44 million American’s without health coverage. Because of the ACA, the number of uninsured dropped to 27.8 in 2018, and rose slightly to 28.9. The uninsured are typically nonelderly. They are individuals and families with incomes below the poverty level. They are non-Hispanic Whites (41%), but people of color make up 43% of the nonelderly population, and account for half of the uninsured.

Coronavirus can infect anyone. But seeking adequate care is dependent of various factors, but leading the list is not having health coverage. The map below shows the uninsured rates among the nonelderly by State.

Paid Sick Leave

Paid sick leave is a rarity in the U.S. Only 11 states and D.C. have paid sick leave policies. The map below shows the distribution of paid leave by State, and local authorities.

Does paid sick leave affect communicable diseases such as influenza? The Washington Post reported on the research by Stefan Pichler, Nicolas Robert Ziebarth. They looked at the pros and cons of sick leave schemes. In particular, their study showed how paid sick leave has affected the spread of diseases, namely the flu. They used data from Google Flu and influenza-like illness (ILI rate). Using this data, they showed ILI rates decreased in cities and states that mandated sick pay by about 5%. Moreover, they found that during a flu wave, the sick leave policy reduced the flu rate by up to 40%.

The chart below is from the Pichler and Ziebarth study. The black vertical line represents the introduction of the sick pay mandate. They report in the two years before the mandate, ILI rate in the cities with a mandated sick pay (the treatment group) was comparable to the ILI rate in cities with no sick pay (the control group). After the introduction of sick pay, the ILI rate decreased significantly for the treatment group.

Summary

The U.S. is one of only a few countries that does not provide universal health care.

The U.S. also has the most incompetent president and vice-president in the world. Each of these men has a disdain for science. Trump and Pence lack leadership to handle the COVID-19 Outbreak.

However, the U.S. has a strong research-based medical community. The CDC and NIH, if left to their own competence, are able to deal with this global threat. However, the duo impair the work of professionals.

In the meantime, the best that the American public can do is:

• Do not listen to anything Donald Trump says about diseases, especially the flu or coronavirus. He is not competent to lead a scientific effort to solve the coronavirus outbreak.
• The same goes for the vice-president
• Do listen to reports from professionals who work at the Centers for Disease Control.
• Get a flu shot,
• If you have already, Wash you hands.
• Don’t touch your face

Source of Universal Health Care Symbol: Okan Caliskan from Pixabay.