On March 23rd, the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) released a report with daunting new information on the coronavirus. The report discussed the publicized coronavirus cluster that was aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan in February. This ship made headlines after 712 passengers and crew members on board tested positive, while all 3,700 passengers on board were quarantined aboard the ship for almost the whole month of February after the outbreak was detected.
The CDC’s report states that almost half of the 712 passengers that tested positive had no symptoms when they got tested, while traces of the virus were found in rooms aboard the ships 17 days after all passengers disembarked from the ship! While science and understanding of the virus and its ability to spread are constantly evolving, this information suggests the coronavirus can spread on surfaces to a much greater degree than people think. This also suggests that some of us may have the virus and are passing it on to others without even knowing it!
Despite information like this and the public health disaster that is unfolding in the United States and abroad, Trump is in denial about the scope of the problem and only cares about getting the stock market going again. He has now called for “opening America for business” on Easter Sunday.
Trump and this system’s incompetence and disregard for human well-being continue to be out in the open for all to see. We need a response that matches the urgency of the situation that we are facing!
Featured image credit: Carl Court via The Daily Beast