Pew research conducted a poll in October 2014 to find that 61% of Americans believed that U.S. hospitals would be able to diagnose and isolate Ebola cases. This was just a few weeks after Ebola's first case was confirmed in the U.S., and eight days after the victim died. The Ebola virus was also confirmed in two health workers who were caring for the man. They have since been released. An aid worker from Guinea who had volunteered to help the sick was diagnosed with Ebola on October 24th. They also recovered. Seven other cases were also treated in the States, after contracting the virus while on trips to West Africa. One person died, and the majority of those who were treated were health care workers.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEbola was not felt here in the U.S. as it was in West Africa. Ebola was seen as a distant threat in the United States, just like the coronavirus was in the USA before the pandemic was declared. A Pew survey in March 2020 found that 71% of adults believed the local health system could adequately care for those who became severely ill from the coronavirus. This was just before the pandemic erupted. A similar sentiment was expressed by 68 per cent of the participants regarding health care institutions in the country.This is no longer true.Pew's new polling data shows that only 55% of Americans believe that the health system can handle another pandemic. This is the lowest level among the 17 countries surveyed. This is likely due to the fact that the pandemic exposed the inequalities in America's institutions. The previous president's administration blew every opportunity to stop the virus, and it became evident how underfunded America's public health system is. The COVID-19 infection ravaged already overburdened hospitals, leaving health care workers already worried about how they would be able to provide care. During the crisis, inadequate testing was common and mostly targeted people who drove. Effective, widespread contract tracing It's all over the place.AdvertisementStark divisions between those who could and couldn't work from home resulted in a reduction in public transit services. This, in turn, affected the working poor who make-up the essential workforce. Digital signups were not available to the elderly and those who don't have internet access, two groups that most needed vaccines at the time the vaccine was being developed. EBT and WIC beneficiaries had less access to food delivery services, which were a common feature during the worst of the pandemic.This is just a small sample of the pandemics that have occurred, and COVID-19 shows a glimpse at what's yet to come. The World Health Organization lists 10 serious diseases that are not covered by medical treatment. This includes Disease X. It is a warning that there may be a disease that poses a grave threat to human health.Those potential pandemics might have looked like future problems for the U.S. health system to address before 2020. They now seem like future tests.
