Different Takes: Pros, Cons Of Stronger Government Responses During COVID-19

Opinion writers weigh in on government's response during the pandemic.

Boston Globe: We Need A Manhattan Project To Fight The Coronavirus Pandemic

The alarming reality is, however, that we are at grave risk of running out of these protective items. Hospitals across the country can’t get enough of the basic supplies they need as they test and care for a steadily growing number of patients who show up with symptoms that could indicate COVID-19. How could this happen? Why don’t we have the tools necessary to wage this war effectively? (Edward J. Markey and Peter L. Slavin, 3/17)

The New York Times: Bring Back Big Government

Ten or 20 years from now, by the time the current crisis has hardened into a cautionary tale about the dangers of governmental incompetence, I imagine we’ll look back on Donald Trump’s Rose Garden news conference of Friday, March 13, as the moment that finally shattered the world’s faith in America. What broke me, at least, was the spectacular smallness on display — how, in the span of about an hour that afternoon, the illusion of American can-do greatness shriveled like a frightened turtle right before our eyes. (Fahad Manjoo, 3/18)

Stat: Use Evidence To Allocate Ventilators, Other Covid-19 Resources

The emergence of Covid-19 and its worldwide spread has some of the United States’ top leaders — at least those without public health or infectious disease expertise — succumbing to speculation and calling for action based on political hunches. If policymakers really want to effectively control the spread of the virus, they need to rely on expertise and thoughtful deliberation, especially when it comes to addressing complex and nuanced questions of allocating scarce resources, ordering quarantine and isolation, and controlling infection. (Susie A. Han and Valerie Gutmann, 3/17)

CIDRAP: Strange COVID-19 Bedfellows: Gnawing Anxiety And Under-Reaction

The other day, a new neighbor overheard us complaining about how slowly western governments were imposing drastic social distancing to help slow the spread of COVID-19. He entered the conversation, saying, "It's not as if life as we know it is ending." He seemed a little anxious as he said it, contradicting his words. He was wrong, of course. Life as we know it is ending for now, and the sooner people's mental understanding of this catches up with their gut understanding, the sooner people will demand and support stronger government responses. (Peter M. Sandman and John Lanard, 3/17)

The New York Times: Our New Historical Divide: B.C. And A.C. — The World Before Corona And The World After

Before the coronavirus crisis hit, I was toying with writing a book about 21st-century political parties, but in light of this global epidemic it’s obvious that whatever nonfiction book you’re working on now, put it down. There is the world B.C. — Before Corona — and the world A.C. — After Corona. We have not even begun to fully grasp what the A.C. world will look like, but here are some trends I’m watching. (Thomas L. Friedman, 3/17)

CNN: Retired General: What Is Reasonable To Expect From US Military In A Pandemic

As the federal and state governments grapple with the potential effects of the Covid-19 pandemic across the nation, there has been an increasing call for mobilizing the military to contribute to the pandemic response. In a New York Times opinion piece, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo suggested that the Army Corps of Engineers should be called into service to assist to "retrofit and refit existing facilities" to serve as temporary medical centers. (Mark Hertling, 3/18)

The Washington Post: A Libertarian’s Unlikely Pandemic Plea: Subsidize Everything

Last week, Atlantic writer Yascha Mounk called on America to “cancel everything.” At the time, this seemed radical. This week, approximately 17,000 years later in covid-19 time, it is conventional wisdom. As Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stepped up to the lectern on Tuesday to announce that the government would be looking for a way to send checks to every American in the next week or so, I thought of my own parallel proposal to Mounk’s: subsidize everything. (Megan McArdle, 3/17)

Boston Globe: Coronavirus Stimulus Plan Is Just A Start, Says Kennedy

There is a lot to like in the House coronavirus stimulus package, but Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III tells me it’s just a down payment on helping Americans deal with and recover from the pandemic’s economic pain. The House proposal features free coronavirus testing for everyone who needs one, including the uninsured; paid emergency leave consisting of 14 days sick time and up to three months of family and medical leave; enhanced unemployment insurance; strengthened programs for student meals, senior nutrition, and food banks; and increased federal funds for Medicaid as states face bigger health care bills. (Shirley Leung, 3/13)

The New York Times: Give People Money

The United States has never experienced anything quite like the economic disjuncture caused by the spread of the new coronavirus. Airports and malls are empty. Restaurants and movie theaters are closed. The collapse is happening so fast it isn’t visible yet in standard data like the unemployment rate, but startling facts are piling up. OpenTable, a restaurant reservation website, reported 56 percent fewer people ate at its member restaurants on Monday compared with the same day last year. In a poll, almost one fifth of the respondents said they were working fewer hours or had lost their jobs. (3/18)

The Hill: How Bad Will The Economy Be Damaged By The Coronavirus?

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for the financial markets and the economy, capped off by the president giving a number of speeches and conferences during which he tried to calm Americans and reassure businesses. Although the coronavirus crisis is expected to have a finite duration, similar to other outbreaks, its rippling effects may have lasting impacts on the economy and public policy. Here are some reasons why. (Joseph Minarik, 3/16)

NBC News: Trump's 'Chinese Virus' Coronavirus Tweets Echo His Mexico Insults — With Similar Results

CBS White House correspondent Weijia Jiang tweeted Tuesday that "this morning a White House official referred to the #Coronavirus as the 'Kung-Flu' to my face. Makes me wonder what they're calling it behind my back." For members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, this type of ignorance and racism is hardly new. It never ceases to amaze me how comfortable people feel espousing racially charged tropes about Asian Americans. It's the kind of brazenness that stems from labeling us the "model minority." (Kurt Bardella, 3/18)

Stat: Biotech Amid The Coronavirus: A New Column On The Impact On Drug Makers

If the Food and Drug Administration slows or halts ongoing drug reviews due to the coronavirus, payout of the Bristol Myers Squibb contingent value rights might be in jeopardy. Recall, as part of the Bristol acquisition, Celgene shareholders were promised a $9 per share payout if three of the company’s drugs secure FDA approval within a specific timeline. If any of the three drugs miss their respective approval deadline, the CVR does not pay out. (Adam Feuerstein, 3/17)

The New York Times: Drug Companies Will Make A Killing From Coronavirus

The search for treatments and vaccines to curb transmission of the new coronavirus is in overdrive. Fortunately, there are a number of promising candidates thanks to the U.S. government’s investment in biomedical research and development. Since the 2003 SARS outbreak, the United States has spent nearly $700 million of taxpayer money on coronavirus research — more than any other country — through the National Institutes of Health. Yet the question right now for Americans — thousands of whom are forced to ration their insulin and face astronomical bills for live-saving drugs — is not only when these treatments and vaccines will become available, but at what price. (Mariana Mazzucato and Azzi Momenghalibaf, 3/18)

Boston Globe: America’s Botched Response To The Coronavirus Is A Problem Bigger Than Donald Trump

Underfunded health infrastructure, the lack of an adequate safety net, and inattention to public health capacity and infrastructure has made this situation so much worse. Even the best presidential response would be hamstrung by a larger set of institutional shortcomings that make America more vulnerable to a pandemic than other developed nations. (Michael Cohen 3/13)

The New York Times: Why The Coronavirus Is So Much Worse Than Sept. 11

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we were exhorted to defiance. I remember it well. Don’t let the terrorists win, we were told. Don’t let them steal your joys or disrupt your routines — at least not too much. Be wary, yes, and be patient with extra-long security lines where they didn’t previously exist. If you see something, say something. But otherwise, resume normal life. Venture out. Revel. (Frank Bruni, 3/17)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription