Promises Don’t End Pandemics
The U.S. vowed to be an ‘arsenal of vaccines’ for the world. What are we waiting for?
I recently started seeing friends indoors and unmasked for the first time in over a year. I rarely see severe Covid-19 patients anymore in the ER where I work as a doctor. And I can’t remember the last time I saw a patient die, something that happened many times on every shift early in the pandemic. Things are feeling so positive lately, I even bought tickets for Broadway shows this fall.
We are witnessing the last gasps of the pandemic in the U.S. thanks to an incredible vaccination campaign. Around the world, however, Covid-19 rages on. There were more new Covid cases in the last two weeks than the first six months of the pandemic.
Lofty promises won’t end this pandemic. The U.S. has helped, and is helping, but we need to do a lot more.
As Americans cast aside our masks and plan for a blissful summer, many will forget that the rest of the world still faces an out-of-control pandemic. By doing so, we risk losing sight of how the U.S. can help control Covid-19 globally. We’re already missing a crucial opportunity to extend a helping hand.
