The United States (US) yesterday passed a grim milestone in recording 200,000 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic. In attaining the sad reality, the US - with a population of 328-million, clings to global leadership in having the largest death totals worldwide from COVID-19, despite the billion-plus populations of both India and China. 

American deaths represent spouses, partners, children, grandparents, other relatives, friends and acquaintances of far too many people - individuals, many of whom did not have to die if warnings and actions against the disease had been implemented earlier.

In lieu of any early truthful Novel Coronavirus action, American cases of COVID-19 now stand at 6,907,109, according to data at the time of writing provided by Johns Hopkins University (JHU), with deaths soaring to 201,204, thus affirming the reality of the wide scope COVID-19 still holds over the US. 

In India, population 1.38- billion, COVID-19 infections number 5,646,010 with 90,020 deaths; in Brazil, population 211-million, 4,591,364 cases with 138,105 deaths; in Spain, population 47-million, 682,267 cases with 30,904 deaths; in France, population 67-million, 507,150 infections with 31,426 deaths; in Italy, population 60-million, 300,897 infections with 35,738 deaths; in the United Kingdom (UK), population 67-million, 406,060 infectious cases of COVID-19 with 41,914 deaths; and in China, population 1.40-billion people, 90,402 recorded Novel Coronavirus infections with 4,737 deaths. Worldwide infections stand at 31,687,807 with 971,915 deaths recorded.

Yet, in the US amid the reality of a grim COVID-19 death toll of 200,000-plus, President Donald Trump claims:" I think we've done an amazing job...in my opinion we are rounding the turn." And in understanding why the Novel Coronavirus has persisted at the levels it has in the US with resulting large case numbers reported daily along with unfortunate deaths, Trump's assertions that the virus "affects virtually nobody" and that young people are "virtually immune" to the disease, do provide the stark answers to America's sick dilemma at the hands of mix messaging and non scientific claims circulating with a political agenda as job one over the public health. 

Global COVID-19 cases are rising again in many countries, and as France, the UK and others put restrictions back in place to mitigate the spread of the pesky pathogen, in the US, infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the White House Coronavirus Task Force admits: "It's not acceptable to not realize that we are entering into a risk period and we've got to act accordingly." According to CNN, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers also warned of a "new and dangerous stage" of COVID-19 in the US. However, Dr. Fauci  said the serious trouble ahead in dealing with COVID-19 was not "inevitable".

If the history of the pandemic in the US is telling of its coming impacts, then this Autumn and Winter 2020 could witness a deepening health crisis across the Republic. Trump's White House, like in the Spring and in the Summer, has failed to issue a national directive to wear facial masks. Businesses, schools, sports and entertainment are reopening. The persisting COVID-19 pandemic joined by the arrival of the Flu Season, could unleash dire health conditions in many jurisdictions.