opinion

Opinion: Put public health over politics with coronavirus outbreak

President Donald Trump is worried the coronavirus is going to hurt his reelection chances. Already, we’ve seen the stock market take its greatest fall in two years, driven by the uncertainty around this global pandemic. To combat uncertainty, we need to prepare.

Experts from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now say it’s not a question of whether the coronavirus (COVID-19) is coming to the United States, it’s a question of when. And we need to be ready. Unfortunately, President Trump gutted the United States’ pandemic response capability by cutting the CDC budget by 9% and eliminating key positions that manage our coordinated global response to pandemic outbreaks.

Too many politicians like Steve Chabot have gone along with Trump’s reckless cuts to health care. Chabot has voted over 50 times to take health care away from Americans without any alternative plan; he has voted twice against protecting preexisting conditions. He votes with President Trump 95% of the time, including cuts to health care that have increased the number of uninsured Americans, which is especially risky in times like these.

In truth, too many Washington politicians seem more concerned with getting re-elected than solving problems. The Trump Administration is now on its heels trying to respond to the pandemic and has requested inadequate funds that pull resources from other global health programs.

I have spent my career working in global public health. Readiness and responsiveness are critical to slowing the spread of and minimizing the mortality rates of those infected. We need strong, clear leadership to manage our domestic and international responses. We need adequate funding to expedite the development of the vaccine; to coordinate the response across local health departments; and to ensure widespread prevention measures are available and implemented. We need to be a leader in the global effort to contain and treat this virus.

In our current leadership vacuum, we’ve witnessed the rise of fear and misinformation about coronavirus. Too many of the people I meet express confusion about the risks and what is needed to stop the spread. At my neighborhood pharmacy, masks and latex gloves have flown off the shelves. With no clear, coordinated strategy to address the pandemic, people are scared, and understandably so.

We need our president and leaders at all levels – including Representative Chabot – to put public health over politics. This should not be a partisan issue.

Kate Schroder, a cancer survivor and mom of two, was born and raised in Cincinnati. She is running for Congress against U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot in Ohio's 1st Congressional District. She will appear on the March 17 primary ballot.