Tensions rise between Trump and health officials
The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention views the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity to rebuild a better public health care system.
“In every crisis there is an opportunity,” Dr. Robert Redfield said during a virtual summit hosted by the Hill. “I think this Covid crisis is an opportunity.”
The pandemic provides a chance to “finally make the commitment it needs to make” to prepare the public health system to work better in the US, he said.
“I think the other great opportunity is, to this nation, to understand that we need to have meaningful, meaningful progress in our efforts to impact social health care disparity in this nation. The Covid virus has obviously exploited it,” Redfield said.
The higher hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19 among the Native American, Alaska Natives, African American, Hispanic and Latino communities, he said, is not due to anything intrinsic.
“It’s actually a marker of the health disparity that exists in this nation for far too long,” he said. Statistics show these communities suffer more from health issues including diabetes, lung disease, heart and kidney disease and obesity. Poverty also plays a large role in these chronic inequities, he said.
“Clearly, you know, it’s a wake-up call to say are we serious about trying to truly impact health disparities so that there’s equity in health in this nation,” Redfield said.
