Advertisement

How State-By-State Coronavirus Measures Create A 'Patchwork Pandemic'

46:51
Download Audio
Resume
Vanessa Zubia-Meza and her mother Margie Zubia are pictured in the window of their new restaurant called El Paseo on May 18, 2020 in downtown El Paso, Texas. (PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)
Vanessa Zubia-Meza and her mother Margie Zubia are pictured in the window of their new restaurant called El Paseo on May 18, 2020 in downtown El Paso, Texas. (PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)

“A patchwork pandemic” — that’s how science writer Ed Yong describes what’s likely to happen as states deal with COVID-19 in their own ways. We discuss why that makes the outbreak harder to control.

Guest

Ed Yong, science writer at The Atlantic. Author of "I Contain Multitudes." (@edyong209)

From The Reading List

The Atlantic: "America’s Patchwork Pandemic Is Fraying Even Further" — "There was supposed to be a peak. But the stark turning point, when the number of daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. finally crested and began descending sharply, never happened. Instead, America spent much of April on a disquieting plateau, with every day bringing about 30,000 new cases and about 2,000 new deaths."

The Atlantic: "The Problem With Stories About Dangerous Coronavirus Mutations" — "As if the pandemic weren’t bad enough, on April 30, a team led by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory released a paper that purportedly described 'the emergence of a more transmissible form' of the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. This new form, the team wrote, 'began spreading in Europe in early February.'”

The Atlantic: "Why the Coronavirus Is So Confusing" — "On March 27, as the U.S. topped 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Donald Trump stood at the lectern of the White House press-briefing room and was asked what he’d say about the pandemic to a child. Amid a meandering answer, Trump remarked, 'You can call it a germ, you can call it a flu, you can call it a virus. You know, you can call it many different names. I’m not sure anybody even knows what it is.'"

The Atlantic: "Our Pandemic Summer" — "What a difference a few months can make. In January, the United States watched as the new coronavirus blazed through China and reached American shores. In February, hindered by an unexpected failure to roll out diagnostic tests and an administration that had denuded itself of scientific expertise, the nation sat largely idle while the pandemic spread within its borders."

The Atlantic: "The Next Plague Is Coming. Is America Ready?" — "At 6 o’clock in the morning, shortly after the sun spills over the horizon, the city of Kikwit doesn’t so much wake up as ignite. Loud music blares from car radios. Shops fly open along the main street."

This program aired on May 26, 2020.

Headshot of Meghna Chakrabarti

Meghna Chakrabarti Host, On Point
Meghna Chakrabarti is the host of On Point.

More…

Headshot of Hilary McQuilkin

Hilary McQuilkin Producer, On Point
Hilary McQuilkin is a producer for On Point.

More…

Advertisement

More from On Point

Listen Live
Close