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1390L

COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

Date: 2022
From: Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection
Publisher: Gale, part of Cengage Group
Document Type: Topic overview
Length: 2,618 words
Content Level: (Level 5)
Lexile Measure: 1390L

Full Text:
Chinese public health officials first reported cases of a new disease characterized by fever and respiratory problems to the World
Health Organization (WHO) in December 2019. The following month, scientists identified the virus as a novel coronavirus. In
February 2020 the WHO announced the name of the new disease caused by the virus as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The virus that causes COVID-19 is highly contagious. It is primarily spread by airborne respiratory droplets expelled when people
breathe, talk, laugh, sing, cough, or sneeze. Infection can also occur by touching a surface on which a droplet lands and then
touching the nose, eyes, or mouth. Health workers discovered additional symptoms as more people became infected. Johns Hopkins
Medical School lists symptoms such as congestion or runny nose, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, cough, difficulty breathing,
muscle or body aches, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, and nausea or vomiting. Some people with the virus have no symptoms.
However, the severity of symptoms in others can lead to death. While the majority of COVID-19 patients survive, many patients have
experienced long hospital stays, long-term disability, lingering symptoms, and slow recovery from even mild infections. Some
survivors will require permanent oxygen supplementation, kidney dialysis, and lung or kidney transplants.

Though first reported in China, the disease quickly spread to other countries. The United States reported its first confirmed case in
Washington state on January 20, 2020. By the time the WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic seven weeks later on March 11,
2020, countries around the world had begun to impose quarantine measures, lockdown orders, travel restrictions, and other
measures to slow the spread of the infection. As of December 2021, the United States had reported more than forty-nine million
cases of COVID-19, contributing to more than 790,000 deaths.

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic extend beyond the immediate threat to human health posed by the virus itself. Like other
countries affected by the virus, the United States has experienced a strain on its health care infrastructure as well as far-reaching
economic effects as both the disease and accompanying health precautions disrupt normal business. The highly infectious nature of
the virus led many jurisdictions to encourage social (physical) distancing, limit the size of gatherings, and suspend many indoor
activities. Further, many businesses and schools shifted operations online to prevent further spread. The handling of the crisis
became politicized, with many Americans divided in their opinions over the effectiveness of the government's response and the
trustworthiness of media coverage on the pandemic. These divisions grew even more polarized as the pandemic continued. The
rollout of three vaccines and a mass vaccination campaign in the United States starting in December 2020 led to a drop in case
numbers. However, the emergence of several variants of the virus, coupled with resistance to vaccination and social distancing
measures by significant segments of the population, prolonged the pandemic throughout 2021. The Delta variant was of particular
concern to public health experts, as it spread faster and caused more severe cases than other variants. The Delta variant was
credited with causing a resurgence of illness in many areas of the United States in the summer and early fall of 2021, and some
health care systems experienced larger outbreaks of COVID-19 in 2021 than during the initial wave of outbreaks in 2020. Another
highly infectious variant, Omicron, was detected in the United States in November 2021.

Main Ideas
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first appeared in China in late 2019. It is a highly contagious and potentially
deadly disease.
In January 2020 the United States became the first country outside of Asia to report a case of COVID-19.
To prevent further spread of the virus public health agencies issued guidelines that encouraged people to maintain distance
from others, minimize physical contact, and wear face masks.
State and local governments adopted different policies to combat COVID-19. Some residents pushed back against public
health measures, including vaccination requirements, that they viewed as unnecessary.
 Social media companies have struggled to limit the spread of misinformation about the virus. Inconsistent messaging from
the government in the early stages of the pandemic compounded the issue.
In September 2020 journalist Bob Woodward shared interviews he had conducted with President Donald Trump that
revealed the president misled the public about the seriousness of the disease.
Two vaccines received approval for emergency use in December 2020. A third vaccine received emergency approval in
February 2021. Pfizer became the first vaccine to receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in
August 2021.

Background
Scientists determined that the virus responsible for COVID-19 resembled the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS), known as the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). In February 2020 the International Committee on Taxonomy of
Viruses (ICTV) labeled the virus that causes COVID-19 as SARS-CoV-2. When a SARS outbreak infected over eight thousand
people across twenty-nine countries in 2003, researchers in the United States and around the world began to develop a vaccine for
the SARS-CoV virus. Research on vaccines against coronaviruses and potential coronaviruses enabled scientists to create
successful COVID-19 vaccines in a relatively short amount of time.

Though the exact origins of the virus that causes COVID-19 have not been determined, researchers have speculated that it may have
first appeared in bats before infecting pangolins, or scaly anteaters. From there, the virus mutated and became transmissible to
humans. Health officials traced the initial outbreak to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, where vendors sold
live animals. Popular in many countries across Asia, markets that sell live animals have attracted global scrutiny for potentially
increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases, those that spread from animals to humans. In September 2021 researchers published
findings that revealed the discovery of viruses that were over 95 percent identical to SARS-CoV-2 in bats found in caves in the
Southeast Asian country Laos. However, persistent concerns that the virus may have escaped from a research laboratory in Wuhan
led the WHO in October 2021 to announce a study team to try to determine a definitive origin for the virus.

When officials announced in January 2020 that a person in Washington state had contracted COVID-19 the United States became
the first country outside of Asia to report the disease. That same month President Donald Trump declared a national public health
emergency and announced that the United States would temporarily suspend entry for people traveling from China. The
administration followed these orders with further travel restrictions as cases began to appear all over the world. Some supporters
praised Trump for protecting US interests. Critics highlighted how the Trump administration may have weakened the country's ability
to respond to the crisis by disbanding the White House pandemic response team in May 2018 and significantly reducing the US
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) presence in China in 2018 and 2019.

In December 2020 two vaccines were authorized for emergency use for those over age sixteen in the United States by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), and vaccination campaigns initially targeting those most at risk began that month. A third vaccine was
approved in February 2021 for emergency use. In August 2021 the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine received full FDA approval for those
ages sixteen and older. Pfizer-BioNTech received emergency authorization to give vaccines to children ages twelve to fifteen in May
2021 and those ages five through eleven at the end of October 2021, raising hopes that this would allow other large segments of the
population to be vaccinated. By early December 2021 almost 200 million U.S. residents, or 60 percent of the population, was fully
vaccinated, and about 71 percent of the population had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Public Health Measures and Backlash

As scientists learned more about COVID-19, public health agencies including the WHO and CDC issued guidelines to help people
protect themselves and their communities. Guidelines related to personal behavior included minimizing contact, maintaining physical
distance from others, washing hands frequently, and wearing face masks in public spaces. The United States did not adopt
mandatory nationwide policies but rather allowed local officials to determine the best steps to protect public health. In making those
decisions policy makers had to consider the potential effects of any order on the economy, civil liberties, and public discourse.

Many local governments responded to the initial news of the pandemic by closing all services deemed nonessential. State and local
governments imposed varying restrictions on the size of in-person gatherings and temporarily banned certain business practices,
such as indoor service at restaurants and bars. Many businesses had to adhere to safety guidelines when reopening, such as
requiring employees or patrons to wear face masks. However, businesses largely remained free to decide for themselves whether to
open to the public or have employees work on-site. Mask requirements varied significantly between jurisdictions, with some places
requiring them in all public places and others only requiring them for employees, if at all.

Widespread school closures in the spring of 2020 disrupted education and family life for many Americans. A shift to online learning
threatened to further disadvantage children who lacked computer and internet access as well as those who relied on schools for free
meals. Further, virtual schooling required parents to facilitate and supervise children's education, in some cases while also working
from home. While some jurisdictions reopened schools for the 2020–2021 school year others remained virtual for part or all of the
school year, and almost all US schools returned to full in-person instruction for the 2021–2022 school year. During both years, school
districts had to weigh protecting the health of students, teachers, and employees against the potential adverse effects on students'
education and well-being. As the 2021–2022 school year start coincided with the peak of the spread of Delta variant many school
boards faced heated discussions with staff and the public over mask requirements and about quarantine policies for those exposed to
the coronavirus. Florida governor Ron DeSantis controversially banned schools from requiring students and teachers to wear masks.
In October 2021 the Florida Department of Education finalized plans to dock school board members' salaries and district funding for
eight districts that enforced mask mandates. However, in Arizona, where similar policies prohibiting school districts from requiring
masks were signed into law by the governor, the state supreme court declared that the laws were passed using improper procedures
and could not be enforced. This allowed school boards who had required masks in defiance of the law to continue to do so.

Many Americans supported public health precautions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, certain policies inspired protests
from groups that believed travel restrictions, mandated business closures, and mask and vaccine mandates infringed on their
personal freedoms. In May 2021 the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks in public in most
settings. Exceptions were made for medical facilities, public transportation, and businesses that chose to continue requiring masks.
However, after the surge in Delta-variant cases in mid-2021 the CDC revised its recommendation to again recommend wearing
masks in public indoor settings. According to an August 2021 poll conducted by Pew Research Center, changing recommendations,
such as the reversal on masks, left more than half of Americans confused about the guidance and more than half reported feeling
less confident in recommendations as a result. The reversal fueled renewed resistance to public health requirements by some
people.

Critical Thinking Questions

What factors do you think contributed to COVID-19 being more disruptive to life in the United States than other diseases?
Explain your answer.
Do you think the government should have adopted more restrictive policies to fight the spread of COVID-19? Why or why
not?
In what ways do you think mixed messaging from public officials and politicians as well as misinformation on social media
affected the way Americans responded to the crisis?

Conflicting Information about COVID-19 and Vaccines

Obtaining reliable information about COVID-19 proved difficult at the beginning of the pandemic as scientists continued to learn more
about the disease. Some politicians, media outlets, and social media users spread misleading information about the virus, whether
intentionally or unintentionally. In some instances, information provided by members of the Trump administration contradicted
information provided by leading epidemiologists, public health agencies, and other members of the administration.

The Trump administration struggled to deliver consistent messaging about the pandemic. In the early months of the crisis the
administration, particularly the president, characterized COVID-19 as posing no greater threat than seasonal influenza. In public
statements the president often cast an optimistic picture, suggesting that the crisis was under control and the disease would
miraculously disappear. Critics expressed concern that the administration's response downplayed or underestimated the seriousness
of the disease. In September 2020 journalist Bob Woodward published Rage, the journalist's second book on the Trump
administration. The book revealed that, as early as a February 2020 interview with Woodward, Trump acknowledged the severity of
COVID-19 and that the virus could be spread through the air. Nevertheless, his public statements for weeks afterwards continued to
discount the threat.

The abundance of conflicting information led many Americans to distrust sources many had previously considered reliable, including
federal agencies like the CDC, public officials, health care professionals, and members of their own families and social circles. This
environment allowed conspiracy theories and misinformation to spread, particularly among social media users. Social media
platforms helped spread unfounded speculation that government figures were overplaying or downplaying the seriousness of the
pandemic, along with recommendations for COVID-19 prevention and treatments that ranged from useless to dangerous. In the
summer of 2021, for example, widespread belief that ivermectin, a medication mainly used to treat parasites, head lice, and skin
conditions in animals and humans, could cure COVID-19 led to runs on veterinarian supplies, hospitalizations for ivermectin
poisoning, and threats to medical personnel who would not treat COVID-19 patients with the drug. Social media companies struggled
to prevent the spread of misinformation out of concern for public safety while balancing free speech concerns.

When vaccines against COVID-19 were introduced public health officials also had to contend with misinformation that contributed to
vaccine hesitancy in a significant portion of the population. Fears stoked by vaccine misinformation ranged from concern that the
vaccines were developed too quickly and might have unknown long-term effects, to rumors that the vaccines contained DNA-altering
chemicals or microchips. Vaccine resistance was higher in politically conservative areas. According to Kaiser Family Foundation,
vaccine rates were 13 percent lower across counties that voted for Trump in 2020 than in counties that voted for Biden. Politically
conservative areas in the South, including in Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana, were heavily affected by the Delta variant-
fueled COVID-19 wave between June and September 2021. The CDC reported that unvaccinated patients were seventeen times
more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms and eleven times more likely to die than vaccinated patients who had
breakthrough infections during those months.

Medical experts emphasized that more of the population must be vaccinated to end the pandemic and prevent the development of
further dangerous variants. By November 2021 President Joe Biden announced mandates requiring vaccinations for federal
employees and contractors as well as employees at healthcare facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds. Businesses with
more than one hundred employees were also directed to require vaccinations or weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated
employees with narrow exceptions for religious reasons. Together these mandates covered nearly one hundred million Americans.
Some state and local officials, trade associations, employers, religious groups, and individuals challenged the mandates as
unconstitutional. However, precedent for vaccine requirements is supported by the Supreme Court decision in Jacobson v.
Massachusetts (1905), which upheld smallpox vaccine requirements. In November 2021, a federal court suspended the rule requiring
vaccines mandates for businesses, a ruling the Biden administration appealed.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2022 Gale, a Cengage Company

Source Citation (MLA 9th Edition)
"COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In Context: Opposing
 Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/XCCTHP408353067/OVIC?u=gale15691&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=54c2c413. Accessed 24
Oct. 2022.
Gale Document Number: GALE|XCCTHP408353067