The world war against this invader, COVID-19, has not gone well. No country’s performance is more disappointing than that of the United States. America went into this war with unsurpassed scientific knowledge. Once at war, its politicians were willing to spend whatever it took. Thousands of people and organizations made heartrending, life-saving efforts. Yet our institutions did not meet the moment. They did not have adequate practical strategies or capabilities to prevent, to warn, to defend their communities, or fight back in a coordinated way, in the United States and globally.
