Historically, the United States has taken the lead in combating health crises. As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, public health experts Lawrence O. Gostin, Eric A. Friedman and Chelsea Clinton argue that America needs to be on the forefront of the global response.
Historically, the United States has taken the lead in combating health crises. As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, public health experts Lawrence O. Gostin, Eric A. Friedman and Chelsea Clinton argue that America needs to be on the forefront of the global response.
By Lawrence O. Gostin, Eric A. Friedman and Chelsea Clinton
From George W. Bush’s PEPFAR global AIDS initiative to Barack Obama’s response to the West African Ebola epidemic, U. S. presidents on both sides of the aisle have led global responses to global health crises. However, the U. S. response to Covid-19 so far has fallen woefully short of that example. This failure of American leadership must be reversed to prevent a further catastrophe as the virus continues its spread in lower-income countries.
The UN Economic Commission for Africa projects 300,000 Covid-19 deaths in Africa by year’s end, possibly many more, while the International Rescue Committee warns of the possibility of several million deaths in 34 conflict-affected and fragile countries across the globe. From overwhelmed hospitals to frozen vaccination programs, more people will likely die from diseases and injuries than from Covid-19 itself. Lockdowns and a loss of remittances will push tens or hundreds of millions of people into extreme poverty. The number of people experiencing acute hunger could double.
Even as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, and a global partnership respond, current funding is nowhere near enough. More financial support is needed, with estimates ranging from several hundred billion dollars to possibly far more than a trillion dollars worth of support required to prepare health systems and assist those afflicted by the virus and harmed by its economic consequences.
So far the U. S. response has been far short of this mark. Its emergency Covid-19 spending measures have included $2.4 billion for the global response – less than $0.50 for every person in a low- or middle-income country. That’s compared to a $3.7 billion emergency appropriation during the 2014-16 West African Ebola epidemic. Ebola affected three countries, whereas Covid-19 is a once-in-a-lifetime global crisis.
The United States and its international partners should urgently launch a Covid-19 global action agenda with two central planks.
