When will the vicious circle of the U.S. epidemic begin?

　　According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 22:01 on October 10th (10:01 on October 11th, Beijing time), the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the United States exceeded 44.33 million. There were more than 710,000 deaths and more than 3.29 million newly diagnosed cases in the past 28 days.

　　In recent months, due to various problems such as the mutation of the new crown virus and the inability of the US government to fight the epidemic, the new crown pneumonia epidemic in the United States has rebounded significantly again.

The US media criticized that failure to respond to the epidemic is the greatest tragedy in the United States.

　　The rebound shows no signs of easing

　　On October 5th, Washington National Cathedral held a commemorative event: 700,000 bells were ringed to commemorate the more than 700,000 Americans who died in the new crown pneumonia epidemic.

As early as June 10, the National Cathedral in Washington once struck 600 bells to commemorate the 600,000 Americans who died of the epidemic at that time.

In the past four months, the number of deaths from new coronary pneumonia in the United States continued to rise.

　　"USA Today" reported on the 5th that data shows that the total number of deaths from new coronary pneumonia in the United States has exceeded 704,000, which means that the number of deaths so far this year has exceeded the total of last year.

In 2020, 352,000 people died from new coronary pneumonia in the United States.

The US media bluntly said that considering that the United States has launched a large-scale vaccination against the new crown since this spring, "this situation is particularly sad."

　　The number of newly confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the United States also remains high.

The World Health Organization’s latest update report on the new crown pneumonia epidemic shows that in the week from September 27 to October 3, the United States added more than 760,000 confirmed cases, and the number of new cases reported ranks first in the world, far exceeding Britain and Turkey followed.

　　Various facts show that under the impact of the Delta mutant strain, a new round of epidemic in the United States is coming and there is no sign of improvement.

　　"The direct reason for the rebound of the US epidemic is that the previous anti-epidemic policy has not been implemented. The current government is counting on widespread vaccination to prevent the epidemic from spreading. However, the United States has vaccines that cannot effectively deal with the delta mutant strain, and the current government The epidemic prevention policy has not been adjusted in time, and the economy is still conditionally open according to the previous plan, and even announced that it is ready to open the country in early November." Zhang Tengjun, deputy director of the Asia-Pacific Institute of the China Institute of International Studies, pointed out in an interview with our reporter. , The US government is trying to find a balance between epidemic prevention and the economy, but it is clear that one loses the other.

　　Zhao Kejin, deputy dean of the School of Social Sciences of Tsinghua University, analyzed to this reporter that the rebound of the epidemic in the United States is also related to the unwillingness of some people to receive the new crown vaccine.

"Although the domestic production capacity of vaccines in the United States is sufficient, the people's willingness to vaccinate is not high."

　　US media recently reported that there are still about 70 million vulnerable groups in the United States who have not been vaccinated against the new crown.

Many doctors have discovered that almost none of the patients infected with the new crown virus at the peak of the US epidemic had been vaccinated.

The analysis pointed out that until now, there are still serious differences in American society around epidemic prevention measures such as vaccination and wearing masks.

At the same time, conspiracy theories related to vaccines in the United States are flying everywhere.

If this situation continues, the new crown vaccination rate in the United States will further decline.

　　The politicization of the epidemic is the root cause

　　Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the United States has been deeply mired in the epidemic and has continued to face pressure to rebound.

The so-called "superpower" has become "the world's first failed country in the fight against the epidemic."

Why has the United States been unable to escape the vicious circle of repeated epidemics?

　　"Politicizing the epidemic is the most direct cause. Both Republicans and Democrats use the epidemic as a'political card' to play, trying to make a fuss about the epidemic to increase their support rate in the election and gain more political benefits. Although the current government It claims to put people’s lives first, but in fact the implementation of epidemic prevention measures is not strict. It is more about how to recover the economy as soon as possible to consolidate voter support. The Republican Party also spares no effort to tie the epidemic to the current government, as long as it is The Republican-led states do not actively cooperate with the epidemic prevention orders issued by the current government." Zhang Tengjun said.

　　The latest data from Gallup Consulting in the United States shows that 92% of people in Democratic-led states have completed at least one dose of the new crown vaccine, while in Republican-led states, only 56% have completed one dose. Vaccination has caused completely different epidemic situations across the United States.

At present, almost all states in the United States with the highest rates of infection, hospitalization, and death rates of new coronary pneumonia are Republican-led states, which is in contrast to the situation where the epidemic situation in the states led by the Democratic Party has slowed down slightly.

　　Zhao Kejin believes that repeated outbreaks in the United States have also exposed the common problem of the so-called "open society", that is, the inability to truly guarantee the safety of the people.

"In the so-called'open society', whenever there is a major crisis, it is often necessary to centralize power to deal with security issues. However, since the outbreak of the epidemic, the U.S. government has never taken it seriously, and the people are dissatisfied with the president’s performance, resulting in the loss of the president’s power. Centralized, huge loopholes have appeared in the prevention and control of the epidemic."

　　At the end of September, a poll released by the Pew Research Center of the United States showed that since July, the approval rate of US President Biden has declined sharply. Only 44% of American adults surveyed approve of his work performance.

　　Zhao Kejin pointed out that the U.S. government is currently facing a dilemma, that is, although it reserves a large amount of new crown vaccine, it cannot solve the problem of people's unwillingness to vaccinate.

"The U.S. government is unwilling to learn from the mature and precise epidemic prevention experience of other countries. It can only make the epidemic one after another like waves and become a normal state."

　　Social polarization will be more prominent

　　In an interview in September, the Secretary of the U.S. Public Health Service, Murty, said that there will be no "quick and clear" turning point in the future of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in the United States, and it is difficult for the United States to return to normal.

Some analysts pointed out that with the arrival of winter in the northern hemisphere, the new crown virus will have a more suitable environment for spreading, and the epidemic prevention situation in the United States may become more critical.

　　"Next, the most immediate challenge facing the United States in the fight against the epidemic lies in vaccination. The U.S. government hopes to better prevent the Delta virus from being infected by promoting the immunization of the elderly and the wider population in the country with the new crown vaccination. The policy has not received a wide response." Zhang Tengjun analyzed.

　　Greater resistance comes from the chronic illnesses of the US political system itself.

　　Zhao Kejin pointed out that the current conservatives in the Republican Party still adopt a non-cooperative attitude. How to achieve domestic unity is a problem that the United States urgently needs to solve.

"Political polarization has severely drained the political energy of the United States, causing problems in all areas of governance, including the fight against the epidemic."

　　"As the US midterm elections approach next year, issues such as the epidemic and the economy will inevitably become the focus. The two parties will spare no effort to hype the epidemic and politicize the epidemic." Candidates at all levels of each state and two parties may participate in the campaign to politicize the epidemic, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the epidemic prevention policy and promoting the development of the domestic epidemic in the United States in a more uncontrollable direction.

　　The U.S. Political News Network also admitted that the United States has fallen into political divisions, so that many health officials who know the dangers of the new crown mutation virus are often vague and unwilling to make a clear statement, making it difficult for the U.S. health department to convey health information to the public. This increases the risk of the epidemic continuing to expand.

　　The repeated epidemics are having a profound impact on the US economy and society.

In late September, the Federal Reserve lowered its forecast for US economic growth this year from 7% to 5.9%.

　　"If the epidemic cannot be completely controlled, the U.S. economic growth will continue to be weak and lack stamina. This will bring about a series of social problems, including the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor, the more obvious division of social classes, and the increasingly tense racial relations." Zhang Tengjun analyzed. Said that the phenomenon of polarization will also become more prominent in American society and no longer only exist at the political level.

　　Zhao Kejin pointed out that the negative impact of the epidemic is concentrated on the poor in the United States.

"On the one hand, the poor lack social security and protective measures are not in place; on the other hand, the social assistance system cannot afford it, and the government is unwilling to intervene. In this case, the poor are more likely to become victims under the repeated impact of the epidemic. In the long run, the social structure of the United States will definitely be affected."