Trump's executive orders spark confusion among businesses and state officials as Democrats assail them as unworkable.

Chaos coast to coast as a school year like no other launches.

The two main headlines in the leading US newspapers this morning.

Many Americans are openly confessing to something like shell-shock. Day after day, they are battered by more catastrophic news. And the underlying statistics continue to get worse. At nearly five million infections and 160,000 deaths from Covid-19, the US is the worst hit nation in the world.

But it did not need to come to this, writes the acclaimed science writer Ed Yong in a cover article published last week in the Atlantic magazine. With the right combination of preparation and decisive action, other countries have brought Covid-19 under control.

But, he says, the US has "fundamentally failed" at every turn. Despite unparalleled wealth, resources, and expertise, the nation has been defeated.

Yong argues that it had no excuse to be unprepared. In recent years, a rise in new infectious diseasesThe Sars, Mers and Ebola epidemics accelerated global and local planning for a pandemic. As human activity expands into previously wild spaces, the chance of a deadly infectious disease passing from animals to humans has increased substantially. convinced experts of the inevitability of a global pandemic. But Trump scrapped government plans for an outbreak and removed or ignored experts warning of the impendingBe about to happen. health crisis.

Countries that successfully controlled the virus acted quickly with public health interventions: social distancing measures, tracking infections, and mass testingIt took months to get an effective Covid-19 test approved in the US, through a slow and bureaucratic system. Meanwhile, US laboratories were already supplying test kits to Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Senegal.. With a healthcare budget twice the size of other wealthy countries, the US could have easily afforded to protect its people.

But only 2.5% of the budget is invested in public health. Despite hugely successful initiativesPublic health improvements extended American lives by an average of 30 years over the course of the century. Vaccines eradicated smallpox and polio and brought down cases of measles, diphtheria, and rubella. against infectious diseases in the 20th Century, the US has a culture of complacency and opposition to government interferenceAnti-vax campaigns in the US oppose compulsory vaccinations. Their opposition is often linked to conspiracy theories and prominent "anti-vaxxers" have spread disinformation online about Covid-19.. Health is treated as a personal responsibility, not a public service.

And the hospitals were not ready, he writes. Many quickly ran out of protective masks and gowns, forcing some medics to improvise with bandanas and bin bags. The fundamental problem is a "profit-driven system" that runs healthcare as a just-in-timeUS hospitals depend on global supply chains to provide exactly the right amount of medicine and equipment when it is needed. Efficient and cheap in normal times, these chains were disrupted by the pandemic, leading to shortages of essential supplies. business, with no incentive to stockpile or prepare for the long-term.

Yong shows these failings hit the most vulnerable hardest. Over three million Americans don't have health insuranceIn the US, healthcare is partly paid by employers. Lockdown measures have caused mass unemployment and many Covid-19 survivors now face huge medical bills. and two million cannot access clean water. In a racially dividedBlack Americans are twice as likely to die of Covid-19 than white Americans. They are more likely to be "essential workers" or in low-paid work, where they are unable to practise social distancing and protect themselves from the virus. country, this means black and ethnic minorities have borne the brunt of the disease.

Strong, decisive leadership could have rescued the US from this direExtremely serious or urgent. situation. But Yong argues Trump has swung wildly between "inaction and ineptitude", spreading disinformationTrump has made 20,000 false or misleading claims during his presidency. He has recommended an antimalarial drug to treat Covid-19 - causing shortages of the medication for those who need it - and claimed that children have immunity from the virus., ignoring expert advice, and blaming the crisis on his political opponents.

Absolutely, yes, some say. Covid-19 has shown that wealth is no substitute for robust public health policy, good preparation, and clear leadership. With the virus now out of control, Americans face a miserable future of sickness and financial ruin.

Others say, no, the US will pull through. In its short history, the nation has survived wars, economic collapse, and terrorist attacks. Four presidents have been assassinated and countless natural disasters have devastated regions of the country. But, each time, it finds a way out of its troubles and returns stronger than before.