Ask HN: Why USA, the most tech-forward country in the world can't control Covid? Seriously curious about this. USA is the most tech-forward country in the world among a few others. It has the highest number of doses being already administered to its population and yet the cases of covid are on the rise. Deaths have again started to pickup. |
2) tech doesn’t really help, aside from making the vaccines and that’s already done. Boring stuff like distribution and storage systems and country level shortages rule.
3) it became political/tribal, so behaviour isn’t always rational.
4) the urgency to deal with covid is not shared by all parts of society. Partially due to (3) and partially due to wishful thinking, impatience etc.
Problems include:
- Ageing population, like in most developed countries (risk factor)
- High rate of obesity, diabetes (another risk factor)
- An individualistic, freedom loving population that doesn't like to be told what to do, even when it is for the greater good
- A weak welfare system, unable to act as a buffer during hard times. As a result the poor can't afford care, testing, and work then they shouldn't, spreading the virus
- A highly connected country with large, dense cities
An important aspect is that in order to control covid, you have to control people. It is hard to control people when individual freedoms is a core value.
Is dying for your freedoms worth it? You decide. Because it is literally what is happening now (on a population scale).
One of the problems of developed nations. But why a few European countries who're also individualistic and freedom loving, are more inclined to listen to their governments and act in community's benefit?