US Drama In Facing The COVID-19 Pandemic

Coronavirus illustration (pixabay)

JAKARTA - The reason the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the status of COVID-19 to become a pandemic is because this virus has spread globally. No exception in superpowers like the United States (US).

Since the outbreak of this outbreak, the US began to have its first case of the corona virus on January 21, 2020. In which a man was positively infected with COVID-19 after traveling from China.

On March 1, the US announced the first case of someone dying from COVID-19. The victim is a citizen of Washington DC and is known to have never traveled to countries with cases of COVID-19.

Reporting from CNN, at least 87 people were declared dead due to COVID-19 in the US. A total of 48 koban died of whom were in Washington state, 11 in California, five each in New York and Florida, three each in Louisiana and New Jersey, two in Virginia, and one each in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas

Health officials predict the number of cases will continue to increase, along with the number of people who test for COVID-19. It was also reported that there were US citizens who tested positive for COVID-19 when they were passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is now anchored in Japan to be quarantined.

Illustration of testing a sample of COVID-19 in Indonesia (Irvan Meidianto / VOI)

Vaccine Trials

Do not remain silent, the US is doing various ways in an effort to eradicate COVID-19, including making a vaccine. The US is now starting its first human trials of the COVID-19 vaccine. The first volunteers received a trial dose on Monday 16 March 2020.

US health authorities say it can take one year to 18 months to fully validate the potency of a vaccine. Where testing of this vaccine was carried out on 45 young and healthy volunteers with different injection doses developed by NIH and Moderna Inc.

Even so, it is possible that these volunteers can be infected with COVID-19 while undergoing tests. However, it should still be done to check that the vaccine does not show any worrisome side effects and prepare for larger tests.

US-China Blaming Each Other

US President Donald Trump did not escape the COVID-19 test, and the results were negative. The White House medical team released a memo that Trump has no symptoms of COVID-19 and that a quarantine process is not required, even though he has had contact with the President of Brazil who is now positive for the coronavirus.

The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 16, 2020

Not only is he not worried about COVID-19, Trump has also offended China via his official Twitter. Trump has called COVID-19 the 'Chinese virus' which has heightened the US-China diplomatic debate due to the outbreak.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, Geng Shuang, said that Trump must take care of his own problems first.

"Some US politicians have tried to stigmatize China ... which China strongly condemns. We urge the US to stop this despicable practice. We are very angry and very much against it," said Geng Shuang, quoted by The Guardian.

For a long time, the US and China have blamed each other for the COVID-19 outbreak. Last week, Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry official accused the US military of bringing the virus to Wuhan. The US then summoned Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai over the comments and issued a "stern" warning to Cui.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also raised his objection during a phone call with Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi. On the other hand, Yang Jiechi also expressed his "strong objection" to the US for slandering and tarnishing China's efforts to fight COVID-19.