photo: PDA’s Dr. Bill — Sacramento Single Payer Rally 6-15-21

By Dr. Bill Honigman, Healthcare Human Rights, Coordinator – Progressive Democrats of America

COVID & MFA REALITY CHECK

1,036,576 Total COVID19 deaths in US to date*

414,630 US COVID19 deaths prevented with MFA**

*Harvard University Daily Tracker

**Lancet Comm, Feb 2021

This is now our 132nd consecutive weekly PDA Online Town Hall since #COVID19 first hit the U.S. in the spring of 2020.  And today, we must report once again that to our perpetual shame, the United States still continues 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 1,036,576, which means that an estimated 414,630 total Americans have now died from COVID19 that would still be alive today if we had a Universal Healthcare system of #SinglePayer expanded and improved #MedicareForAll (MFA).  

That’s 1,285 more Americans who died preventable deaths from #COVID just this week, because the United States might be an advanced country, but because it does not have #UniversalHealthcare it is verifiably not a civilized country.

According to OurWorldInData.org, the global vaccination rate is now at an estimated 67.5% of world population who have received at least one dose of the COVID19 vaccine, and 63.1% are thought to be fully vaccinated, and still only 20.7% of those who happen to live in low-income countries have received at least that initial dose.  The U.S. is thought to have about 79% of its population with at least one shot on board, but still only 67% with a complete initial series.  

The Johns Hopkins Resource Center ranks COVID19 vaccinations with the U.S. still at No. 66 in the world – just behind India and Sri Lanka, and just ahead of Belarus and El Salvador, again this week.  How is that in any way acceptable, especially to those who claim American exceptionalism? 

And the worst state status in the U.S. COVID vaccination rate this week, is still Wyoming, at only 51.8% of its population fully vaxxed.  That’s not something to be proud of, Wyoming.

According to the CDC, the rates of new infections, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID19, have decreased this week by about 10 percent, which makes it the fourth consecutive week of improved numbers, domestically.  Similarly, in the other advanced countries, declining numbers were seen this week across the board with the exception of Russia, still showing increased numbers.

Earlier this week, the U.K. approved their new vaccine which includes protection against the more infectious Omicron variants, and we in the U.S. are still expecting ours by next month.  This, as the CDC is estimating the Omicron BA.5 variant as responsible for about 89% and BA.4 accounting for another 4%, and other Omicron variants making up virtually all of the rest of U.S. COVID19 infections, at present.

Meanwhile, NPR reported this week that the Monkeypox pandemic, at least in some countries such as the U.K., Germany, and parts of Canada, is showing declining numbers, with experts describing the situation as “a bit more under control” and most speculating that it’s likely due to the early rollouts of Monkeypox or Small Pox vaccines particularly in those Universal Healthcare countries.

And by disturbing contrast, back here in the U.S., at least according to the Wall St Journal reporting this week, the Biden administration moving farther away from universal care by “planning for an end to its practice of paying for COVID19 shots and treatments, shifting more control of pricing and coverage to the Healthcare industry”.  

Unbelievable, really.

And that was while the same news outlet reported just 2 days prior, that CDC leadership is now admitting widespread failure on their part in especially the early handling of the COVID19 outbreak.  And, CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, outlined “a plan to reorganize the agency’s structure to prioritize public health”, but incredibly with absolutely no mention at all of the obvious need for Universal Healthcare, here in the U.S., to deal with a universal public Healthcare emergency, such as we’ve all now experienced. 

No progress, no resolution.  No Healthcare justice, no peace.

Thanks for listening and for all you’re doing, and onward!

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Watch the previous PDA Healthcare Emergency Town Halls here.

Watch the previous PDA Sunday Progressive Town Halls here.