
MFA and COVID19 Update – August 14, 2022
PDA’s Dr. Bill Honigman – CA Dem Party Senior Caucus Presentation 2018
By Dr. Bill Honigman, Healthcare Human Rights, Coordinator – Progressive Democrats of America
COVID & MFA REALITY CHECK
1,033,363 Total COVID19 deaths in US to date*
413,345 US COVID19 deaths prevented with MFA**
*Harvard University Daily Tracker
This is now our 131st consecutive weekly PDA Online Town Hall since #COVID19 first hit the U.S. in the spring of 2020. And today, once again we must report that the U.S. continues, shamefully, to be the world leader in total COVID19 deaths to date.
The Harvard University daily tracking center is reporting the U.S. COVID19 total death toll today at 1,033,363, which means that an estimated 413,345 Americans have now died from COVID19 that would still be alive today if we had a #SinglePayer expanded and improved #MedicareForAll (MFA) system, as we should have in this country.
That’s 1,358 more Americans who died preventable deaths from COVID this week, just for the sake of U.S. Healthcare commercial interests rather than public interests, in this country.
According to OurWorldInData.org, the global vaccination rate is now at an estimated 67.4% of world population who have received at least one dose of the COVID19 vaccine, while only 20.7% of those who happen to live in low-income countries have received that one dose. And, the U.S. is thought to have about 78% of its population with at least one shot on board, but only 67.3% with a complete initial protocol of vaccine.
The Johns Hopkins Resource Center ranks us on COVID19 vaccinations this week at No. 66 in the world – just behind India and Sri Lanka, and just ahead of Belarus and El Salvador. Just how exactly does that happen that the world’s richest nation ranks among the poorest nations now week after week?
And Wyoming, again this week, is the U.S. state with the lowest COVID vaccination rate, at only 51.7% of its population with a complete initial series. How is that a thing?
Incidents of infection, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID19, are now declining in the U.S., as in most areas of the world, with a few notable exceptions. Among those being perhaps most worrisome is China, where drastic “lockdown” measures have gone so far as to isolate tourists now for weeks or months at a time, and created critical needs for food and medicines for those sheltered in their homes.
Here in the U.S., the CDC has taken the occasion of these improved numbers to relax its guidelines, removing quarantine after known exposure, and removing recommended social distancing in public places. This is controversial at best among experts, but the CDC is justifying these moves based on data suggesting new levels of public immunity due to vaccinations and previous infections and re-infections.
Monkeypox and Polio viruses continue to be of growing concern, as significant shortages of vaccine and no shortage of anti-vaxx mentalities, respectively, are now believed to be the sources for these public health menaces.
How might these two public health nemeses be handled and improved upon under MFA, where public interests rather than commercial interests drive priorities in prevention and treatment? Not a whole lot is being said about that in the corporate media or from Republicans and status quo Democrats, is there?
As Bernie Sanders says, “It’s not easy taking on the corporate establishment, the political establishment, and the media establishment.” But to bring justice to Healthcare, and our other critical needs in America, that’s precisely what we need to do.
Thanks again, and onward!
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