It’s disappointing to see the negligence of the Biden administration and Republican politicians reported in the March 23 news article “White House will disband covid-19 team in May.” The past year has seen American deaths from the coronavirus consistently between 1,700 and 5,000 weekly — many times the numbers of deaths from other risks we take seriously, such as auto accidents. The false narrative that the “pandemic has receded” is actually a symptom of politicians ignoring its ongoing toll.
The White House still needs to lead our covid fight; the tools are there. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid Data Tracker shows that those with the updated booster are 14 times less likely to die of covid than the unvaccinated. Paxlovid appears to reduce the chance of death and severe disease by 51 percent or better. Data still shows that air-quality measures such as better ventilation, opening bus windows, upgrading indoor air filtration and masking all help control the spread of the coronavirus.
Having just 16 percent of the U.S. population with the updated vaccine is not “mission accomplished.” Uptake of Paxlovid is pitifully low. Schools fail to use covid relief funds to improve safety.
More than 1.1 million Americans have perished from covid, and we must do better. The pandemic is not over, and our leaders need to say so.
James G. Lertola, Kennett Square, Pa.