Dissecting Coronavirus, and the Rise of Mental Illness

I.Cutting the Epidemic Prevention Budget
Sarah Abramsky. "Going Viral," The Nation, February 17, 2020.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cut global prevention efforts by 80 percent, radically shrinking its operations in 39 of the 49 countries where it had a presence, including China and Congo, currently in the epicenter of an Ebola outbreak. Last year, President Trump proposed slashing the Department of Health and Human Services' budget by 12 percent and the CDC's by 10 percent.

"As the world stands on the verge of a new epidemic, the United States has 50,000 fewer public heath employees than it  did in 2008."

II. Containing a Crisis
Alice Park and Charlie Campbell, "Containing a crisis," TIME, February 10, 2020.
"Only recently have they [Coronaviruses] become more threatening, causing two deadly global pandemics in the past two decades." "Coronaviruses are not rare. In fact, you might  have one right now. Depending on the year, anywhere from 10% to 20% of the annual burdens of colds can be blamed one of four coronaviruses."

III. The Pandemic of Habitat Destruction
Sonia Shah, "The Other Pandemic: Habitat Destruction," The Nation, March 16/23, 2020.
"Since 1940, hundreds of microbial pathogens have emerged, either for the first time or in territory where they had never been detected before. They include HIV, Ebola, and a bevy of new coronavirueses. Sixty percent of them originate in the bodies of animals." "Mosquito-borne disease outbreaks have been similarly linked to the felling of forests, although less because of the loss of habitat than its transformation." "Tick-borne disease first emerged in the United States in 1975; in the past 20 years, seven new tick-borne pathogens have followed."

"For ten years, scientists funded by the US Agency for International Development's Predict program did just that by pinpointing more than 900 viruses." "The Trump administration's deregulation of extractive industries will likely speed up the habitat destruction that brings animal microbes into contact with humans." "In October [last year], the White House decided to end Predict, and, in February proposed cutting funds to the World Health Organization."

IV. Biden's Virus-Killing Plan
Joe Biden's plan to respond to the coronavirus epidemic: ramp up the production of medical supplies in both public and private sectors; have mobile test facilities; deploy military medical personnel and equipment; accelerate training and development of treatments and vaccines.

V. The Coronavirus's Globalization Effect
Ian Bremmer, "The coronavirus's blow to globalization," TIME, March 16-23, 2020.
"In coming years,the coronavirus outbreak may be remembered as a milestone moment on the road toward the end of the first phase of globalization" "The result has been tightened immigration rules,new barriers to  trade and investment, a shortening of  supply chains, a technological decoupling and a new emphasis on country-first policies. Coronavirus has already forced travel restrictions, accusations between governments, and a series of xenophobic attacks in multiple countries. depending on the level of human and economic damage this virus inflicts around the world. Coronavirus may  one day be considered an important turning point for the entire global economy."

VI. Rising Mental Illness
Mandy Oaklander, "When every day is  a mental health day, TIME, February 3, 2020.
"Mental illness is rising in every country in the world. Depression is so common and debilitating that it's one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, and, coupled with  anxiety, costs the global economy about $1 trillion a year in lost productivity (according to the World Health Organization.) Among millennials, who are ages 24 to 39 in 2020, depression is the fastest-growing health condition, the Blue Cross, Blue Shield Association recently found." "A 2019 poll by the American Psychiatric Association found 62% of people who are ages 20 to 37, feel comfortable discussing their mental health at work,compared with about half as many people ages 54 to 72."

VII. "Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide as Leading Causes
Greg Adams, "Shedding new light," TIME, February 3, 2020.
 Greg Adams agrees with  Mandy Oaklander that depression is a leading cause of illness among young people; also, he agrees that anxiety is on the rise. He says that "suicide ranks third as a leading cause of death for 15-to-19-year--olds, and is increasingly becoming a health-equity issue: African American girls in grades nine to twelve were 70% more likely to attempt suicide in [a recent study] in 2017, compared to non-Hispanic white girls of the same age."

ADDENDUMS:
*President Trump blamed Obama for the delay in distributing virus test kits; however, he replied to Fox news anchor, Bret Baier: "Well, I don't blame anybody."

*"We already know some other deadly members of the coronavirus family don't seem to be      seasonal," says Thomas Ballyky, director of the Global Health Program at the Council on Foreign Relations.

*When President Trump said that health insurance companies have agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments,he lied, as they will only cover testing. not treatment.