Recently, the pandemic in the United States has developed so fast that people are a little confused.
At present, the number of infections in the United States has increased by more than 100,000 in days, the total number of confirmed cases exceeds 10 million, and the death toll exceeds 240,000, making the most seriousness of the epidemic in the world. In the current pandemic, the demonstrations against wearing masks and vaccines in the United States have not stopped.
At a delicate time when the United States entered the presidential transfer of power, Anthony Fauci, the chief infectious disease expert, appeared at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in a high-profile manner to “complain” about the profound lessons of the United States’ fight against the epidemic to Europe.
Lesson 1: Science and politics should not be opposed.
In the “air dialogue” with his European counterparts, he talked about the scientific and political confrontation in the fight against the epidemic in the United States, as well as the attacks and injustices he suffered.
Since 1984, Fauci has been the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 36 years. He has served in the U.S. government department for six times and enjoys a high reputation in the industry.
However, after the outbreak in the United States got out of control, US President Trump drifted away from him, repeatedly calling him a “disaster” and hinting at campaign rallies that Fauci might be fired. In an unprecedentedly divided society in the United States, Fauci not only suffered attacks on his family, but also received death threats, and had to temporarily give up his hobby of running out.
The epidemic prevention work that should be scientifically under the command has become the bull’s eye of political struggle. An unprecedented wave of anti-science and the extreme polarization of society surprised Fauci, but he always believed in science.
Throughout the conversation, Fauci did not mention Trump, but his insistence on scientific anti-epidemic views are tit-for-tat with Trump’s public statement.
Wearing masks has been highly politicized in the United States and has become a kind of party struggle. Wearing a mask is the Democratic Party and not wearing a mask is the Republican Party, which makes his British counterparts feel incredible. Many authoritative experts believe that in addition to cultural and customary factors, being rhythmic by politicians is a major reason.
Fauci advocates for people to maintain basic social distancing, wear masks, wash their hands and avoid mass gatherings. However, Trump was eager to tear off his mask when he made his first appearance after leaving the hospital, and there was no social distancing in the campaign rallies.
Fauci pointed out that science in the face of the epidemic has given evidence and data so that people can make the right decisions. However, in the divided society of the United States, science has been politicized, which is unprecedented.
Lesson 2: Why is it difficult to unite against the epidemic?
Under the ravages of the epidemic, why is it so difficult for the government and the people to unite to fight the epidemic? In a conversation with Fauci, Professor David Heyman, a British infectious disease expert, pointed out that communication between political leaders and medical experts has been difficult, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been marginalized.
Unfortunately, Fauci is there and has to do what others do not want to do and unite other institutions to take unified action.
Fauci did not deny this. In this political climate of “blaming the pot” science, Fauci became a “lame commander” although he held the title of commander-in-chief of epidemic prevention.
The ridicule and attack on him invisibly promote extreme speech and behavior, making science and politics that should not be opposed become a needle to McMang. Scientific opinions that should be respected and supported have been put on the shelf.
Fauci pointed out that the epidemic in Europe and the United States is not on the same starting line. Compared with Europe, the epidemic situation in the United States is even less optimistic. In the United States, it is difficult to make fifty states comply with the guidance uniformly, coupled with people’s tiredness of lockdown measures, which makes it even more difficult to balance public health initiatives.
The virus doesn’t know the left, center and right. They just spread in waves, taking lives and eroding prosperity. Protesters who pursue the maximization of so-called personal freedom have been restricted by the virus because of neglect and blindness to science.
Now, the United States is in a transitional period of presidential power transfer, and as winter approaches, medical circles worry that the epidemic will worsen again. Fauci was relieved that Biden had made it clear that scientists would lead the epidemic prevention work after his election.
Finally, Fauci admitted to his European counterparts that no matter which president enters the White House, science should lead the fight against the epidemic. He is about to celebrate his 80th birthday on Christmas Eve, hoping to fight until the end of the epidemic.
