The first American coronavirus case was diagnosed on January 20, 2020, with the first death arriving on February 6. As of October 2020, the United States is still unable to implement mass testing for COVID-19. Nor has it established a system of contact tracing. These are the essential measures that have allowed countries in East Asia and Europe to stem the virus and return to relatively normal life.

The problem is not lack of money. The United States spends 50 percent more per capita on medical care than any other country in the world.

The CARES Act, which was passed on March 27, 2020, devotes $2.2 trillion for economic relief. This is far more, in both total amount and per capita, than any other country in the world has spent.