For interest and reference:

World Health Organization: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) (Feb 2020)

  Over the first 6 weeks of the new decade, the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, has spread from the People’s Republic of China to 20 other countries.

  On 30 January 2020 following the recommendations of the Emergency Committee, the WHO Director General declared that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

  In view of the urgency of this outbreak, the international community is mobilising to find ways to significantly accelerate the development of interventions.

https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/covid-19-public-heal...

▲ KennyBlanken 5 hours ago | parent [-]

I'm not sure what your point is?

It's worth noting that there were repeated warnings something like COVID would come out of China, and the US had been conducting a lot of "disease surveillance" around the world looking for exactly something like COVID, under programs set up by Obama, to try and nip them in the bud before they spread to more developed nations.

Guess who ended those programs almost the second he got into office?

It's not fair to say he was directly responsible, but...imagine if we'd had those programs, along with people in the federal administration and congress who believed in science, instead of believing in a personality cult, retribution for perceived slights, homophobia/transphobia, grift, extreme environmental and economic selfishness, and ripping apart as much as they possibly could?

7 million people died from COVID...

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defrost 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> I'm not sure what your point is?

Simply to point back at an earlier PHEIC event ... providing contrast to a now [dead] comment.

> worth noting that there were repeated warnings something like COVID would come out of China

Or Africa, or India, or USofA intensive livestock practices, or {other places that intensified novel interminglings of humans, livestock, drugs, etc}.

> the US had been conducting a lot of "disease surveillance" around the world ...

Smart move, and cost effective ... had the responses remained in place.

> but...imagine if we'd had those programs, along with people in the federal administration and congress who believed in science

Yeah .. if so the US and UK may have had very different outcomes, perhaps even near zero deaths and few hospitalisations such as was seen in W.Australia. They did have an advantage with pre existing near isolation, but still had to stamp out a fair few sparks that could've gone wildfire.

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renewiltord 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Everyone else can fund PEPFAR. Why is it our problem? If Europe cares so much, Europe can spend.

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kelnos 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Even if you don't care about humanitarian causes, all of this stuff that's been axed directly contributed to US soft power, globally. That's all in the past now, though, and the US is declining as a global power as a result (of that, and many other actions this administration has taken).

	▲	renewiltord 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		That’s fine. We don’t need global powers and all this hegemony. America should stay out of other people’s business. Many people have been saying that for a long time. Iran war etc is obviously some fubar bullshit but otherwise, it’s not for us to tell the Africans how to live their lives or the Russians and Ukrainians how to figure out things. That’s their business, not ours. And I hope we stay out of it. Soft power is useless. All it got us is a bunch of old Americans scammed in 419 from Nigeria. Who gives a fuck. China shows the right path. No PEPFAR, no Iran, no Ukraine, just mind own business. For decades, everyone has told us to get out of other people’s business. I can understand if they criticize Iran etc but ending PEPFAR is about getting out of other people’s business. Notice how despite China causing COVID-19 directly and being told they were going to do it no one dared even say “China drives…”. That’s the power we should strive to have. Not this soft power bullshit. Who wants soft power. It’s like “thoughtfulness”. It’s a compliment for people without a more worthwhile trait to name. Is he smart? Is he upright? Is he wise? Is he kind? Is he attractive? No…he’s uhh… thoughtful