A lack of reliable testing has hampered U.S. efforts to contain the coronavirus from the beginning. Last month, a member of the U.S. Army staffed a drive-thru Covid-19 test site at in Rochester, NY.

A lack of reliable testing has hampered U.S. efforts to contain the coronavirus from the beginning. Last month, a member of the U.S. Army staffed a drive-thru Covid-19 test site at in Rochester, NY.

Nearly 3.4 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the United States. The death toll tops 135,000.

Now, with infection rates surging, states that had started to reopen their economies are shutting down again. Schools that had planned to return to in-person instruction are going virtual.

Laurie Garrett is a Pulitzer prize-winning author and pandemic expert. Back in 1994, her book, “The Coming Plague,” warned of the consequences of newly emerging diseases. And she says the U.S. response to the pandemic is “a textbook for how to fail.”

Diane talks to Garrett about what happened, and what, if anything, can be done about it.

Guests

  • Laurie Garrett Pulitzer prize-winning science writer and former senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations

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