Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The path to a healthy nation starts with the you, the voter

Cory Michael, MD
Policy
August 22, 2020
94 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

It is hard to envision that this is an election year. With a paucity of campaign ads and the presidential nominees locked up for quite a while, I didn’t even know that the Democratic convention was going on until I saw a report about it after the fact.

With election day now on the horizon, I reflect on the common mantra used almost every time an incumbent president campaigns the second time, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” This almost seems like a laughable concept under the present circumstances, but I also feel like we stopped holding our leaders accountable some time in the past when we decided that our personal social media declarations were more important than real news.

Of course, while our current leaders should be accountable for where we are today, the COVID-19 pandemic has exhibited a few unforeseeable traits. I think where we started going wrong was calling it the “novel coronavirus” in the first place. Those who know viruses don’t flinch much at the term coronavirus because it reflects a virus family and not an actual virus. It would be like calling a new strain of the flu, “the novel orthomyxovirus.” Try saying that over and over. Many doctors were guilty of dismissing this new virus until we saw it spread first hand because coronaviruses normally do not cause severe disease. Calling the disease COVID-19 is similarly silly. It would have made more sense to just call the disease what it is, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which is caused by a novel SARS virus. After all, the official name for the virus is SARS-CoV-2. I think that this would have perked our ears up a little more.

While Anthony Fauci has become somewhat of a celebrity, he was not appointed by the current administration and goes back in my memory to the early stages of the AIDS epidemic. Dr. Fauci has seemingly ignored the fact that the best way to combat the disease is to control preventable conditions that predispose to severe complications of the virus, and it is perhaps the over-arching concept of disease vs. health that we just can’t tackle in a capitalist disease-treating system. Voters do bear somewhat of the brunt of this problem because we refuse to accept the need to build a solvent system that places the needs of many ahead of the individual.

In March, we tried to “flatten the curve.” Then we just stopped being scared after we told ourselves that the curve was “flat,” dismissing the virus when we concluded that it probably wouldn’t affect us personally. It was necessary to let our economy breathe, but the tone of many of our leaders regarding the need to respect physical distancing guidelines just wasn’t on point.

What we lacked was strong top-down leadership on this issue. Our national policy has been essentially nonexistent, leaving states, counties, and cities to act in a disjointed and sometimes clumsy fashion. While I can tune in to Korean baseball early in the morning and see their stadiums filled with a low capacity of actual fans and not just cardboard cutouts, there is seemingly no path to such a circumstance in the U.S. unless an effective vaccine becomes available. Based on the response I have seen to the pandemic in the U.S., it seems like we would buy the cheapest tickets and then subsequently steal the seats closest to the field anyway, regardless of whether we were 6 feet away from somebody else. As to a vaccine, can you see now how important vaccines are to us? Measles makes this virus look like the common cold.

It doesn’t really matter if this coronavirus was created in a lab, by nature, or by a God. The more I think about it, the way it has hurt our economy makes it look like a bioterrorist agent specifically engineered to attack the U.S. psyche. Regardless, it is here, and we need to deal with it. This November, I hope we see people start to vote in their actual interest and not just for a false idol or skewed agenda. We had people protesting in the streets earlier this year, but if they don’t vote, they are doing more to exacerbate the issues they are protesting than solving them. I hope that everyone can find enough in common with the views of one of these candidates and try to put our country in the best place moving forward.

Cory Michael is a radiologist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

To better take care of patients, we need to take care of ourselves

August 22, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

Why physician advocacy is so important [PODCAST]

August 22, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: COVID, Infectious Disease, Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
To better take care of patients, we need to take care of ourselves
Next Post >
Why physician advocacy is so important [PODCAST]

More by Cory Michael, MD

  • Inequity contributes to burnout among new academic physicians

    Cory Michael, MD
  • Missouri and Texas: a tale of 2 COVID cultures

    Cory Michael, MD
  • The coronavirus vaccine is not a political or social issue

    Cory Michael, MD

Related Posts

  • Fixing our health care system won’t make us healthy

    Christopher J. Frank, MD, PhD
  • More equitable health care starts with you

    Rehaan Shaffie, MD
  • The path to gender-affirming care is closing: We need to open it

    Anonymous
  • A path to universal health coverage in America

    Cedric Dark, MD, MPH
  • A doctor starts her first YouTube channel

    Tanaka Dune, MD
  • Primary care makes a difference for patients and the nation

    Glen R. Stream, MD

More in Policy

  • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

    Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH
  • Health care wins, losses, and lessons

    Robert Pearl, MD
  • Maximizing care amidst provider shortages: the power of measurement-based care

    Tom Zaubler, MD
  • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

    Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH
  • Chronic health issues and homelessness

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • The impact of certificate of need laws on rural health care

    Jaimie Cavanaugh, JD and Daryl James
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Out-of-office infusions in oncology care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Balancing motherhood and medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Misunderstandings about opioid use disorder

      Amy Baxter, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Out-of-office infusions in oncology care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

      Sarah Samaan, MD | Physician
    • Levamisole is good for your dog, but bad for your cocaine

      Robert Killeen, MD | Meds
    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • PSA screening: What you need to know [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 4 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Vascular Conditions Offer No Clarity on Pollution-Dementia Link
  • FDA Staff Voice Serious Concerns About Investigational ALS Cell Therapy
  • Primary Prevention Benefits of Lowering LDL Also Apply to the Elderly
  • Doctors Should Stay Away From 'Grateful Patient' Fundraising
  • AI System Outperforms Standard Review of Imaging for Retinal Disease

Meeting Coverage

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • ERS Roundup: Cell Transplant Boosts Lung Function in COPD Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Out-of-office infusions in oncology care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Balancing motherhood and medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Misunderstandings about opioid use disorder

      Amy Baxter, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Out-of-office infusions in oncology care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

      Sarah Samaan, MD | Physician
    • Levamisole is good for your dog, but bad for your cocaine

      Robert Killeen, MD | Meds
    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • PSA screening: What you need to know [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

The path to a healthy nation starts with the you, the voter
4 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...