Why it matters: From the beginning, the U.S. — with a population of more than 325 million — has repeatedly underestimated and reacted slowly to the coronavirus, prolonging its economic pain and multiplying its toll on Americans’ health.
First, it happened with testing — a delay that allowed the virus to spread undetected, Axios’ Caitlin Owens reports.
- Then we were caught flat-footed by the surge in demand for medical supplies in emerging hotspots.
- And the Trump administration declined to issue a national shelter-in-place order. The resulting patchwork across the country left enough economic hubs closed to crash the economy, but enough places up and running to allow the virus to continue to spread rampantly. Continue reading.