The coronavirus pandemic has been a shock to our systems — political, social, and economic. As governments scramble to adequately respond to outbreaks of COVID-19, mandates to physically isolate ourselves from each other are impacting workers in vulnerable positions. Meanwhile, celebrities are hosting online sing-alongs, some politically powerful people have allegedly exploited the moment for financial gain, and the rich continue to deliver mind-blowing indications that their concern in a global crisis is first and foremost only for themselves.

It’s all an important reminder of something many of us felt even before this moment: The rich and powerful will not save us.

For me, the first sign that coronavirus could become its own vector for class war came when the Guardian reported on March 11 — the same day the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic — that the super-rich were using private jets to flee and that one California company specializing in “disaster bunkers” had seen a spike in inquiries and sales.

That’s just one way our economic divide is being illustrated in stark terms. Reporting from ProPublica and the Daily Beast has alleged senators have engaged in insider trading, making seven-figure deals selling off stocks after learning about the risk posed by the virus. Meanwhile, all across the nation, states like Ohio and Minnesota are seeing massive spikes in unemployment insurance applications that have even crashed the websites people use to apply. As our leaders cash in, too many of us are worried about running out of cash.

This is extending to our health care system now too. The Guardian reported that rich people were seeking out private coronavirus testing. Reporting from the New York Times, Business Insider, and the Atlantic has documented how wealth and influence seemingly make it easier to get a test. Business Insider has even reported the wealthy are paying for testing in their homes.

Apparently, being rich isn’t necessarily a guarantee that you’ll get easy access to testing, though. According to a March 20 report from the Darien Times, the hometown paper for one of the richest communities in the nation, plans for a drive-through testing site there have been scrapped after neighbors said the location was too close to their homes. This kind of “not in my backyard” (aka NIMBY) thinking isn’t new to the rich, but it is especially appalling in this moment.

Meanwhile, the Times reported on March 19 that a lack of key medical supplies is the latest obstacle contributing to the nationwide testing shortage, adding to a deficit already created by a lack of essential lab materials. Even now, as the focus on a lack of testing is shifting to a focus on the lack of ventilators (the medical equipment that can save the lives of people experiencing extreme cases of COVID-19), a chief executive of a ventilator manufacturer told the New York Times that rich people are reaching out about buying their own personal equipment.

The entire debacle over elite testing is underscored by the financial reality of dealing with COVID-19 for what some might call the “other half” but others would call the 99%. Time magazine reported on March 20 that Danni Askini, an uninsured woman who has tested positive for COVID-19, not only went through multiple emergency room visits before she was tested but is now facing a hefty $34,927.43 bill for the treatment she received.