We should have prepared for the worst and immediately begun to check and replenish stockpiles. As a start. There are other points to be made, but too contentious for this venue.
The comparisons served a purpose other than to underscore potential loss of life.
It appears to mer that we did began doing those things, back at the very end of January.
White House Coronavirus Task Force - Wikipedia
The
White House Coronavirus Task Force is a
United States Department of State task force that "coordinates and oversees the Administration's efforts to monitor, prevent, contain, and mitigate the spread" of the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
[1] It was established on January 29, 2020.[2]
The first known case in the United States of COVID-19 was confirmed in the state of
Washington on January 20, 2020, in a 35-year-old man who had returned from
Wuhan, China on January 15.
[4]
The White House Coronavirus Task Force was established on January 29.
[2] On January 31, the Trump administration declared a public health emergency,[5] and placed travel restrictions on entry for travellers from China.[6]
On March 10, 2020,
The Hill reported that
U.S. Senate Republicans who had attended a briefing with
President Donald Trumphad encouraged him to hold more briefings and to make
Anthony Fauci the "face of the federal government's response" because according to an unnamed senator, "he has credibility", he "speaks with authority" and he "has respect in the medical community."
[7] The role of
Health and Human Services Secretary
Alex Azar was downsized, according to the
Wall Street Journal, with Pence taking a larger role.
[8]
Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the President’s Coronavirus Task Force
HEALTHCARE
Issued on: January 29, 2020
ALL NEWS
Today, President Donald J. Trump announced the formation of the President’s Coronavirus Task Force.
Members of the Task Force have been meeting on a daily basis since Monday. At today’s meeting, which the President chaired, he charged the Task Force with leading the United States Government response to the novel 2019 coronavirus and with keeping him apprised of developments.
The Task Force is led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and is coordinated through the National Security Council. It is composed of subject matter experts from the White House and several United States Government agencies, and it includes some of the Nation’s foremost experts on infectious diseases.
The Task Force will lead the Administration’s efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus, while ensuring that the American people have the most accurate and up-to-date health and travel information.
The President’s top priority is the health and welfare of the American people. That is why, in 2018, President Trump signed the
National Biodefense Strategy, which improves speed of action in situations such as this. The Administration, led by the President’s Task Force, will continue to work to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.