To date, COVID-19 has infected at least 2 million Americans and killed more than 115,000, a quarter of all the world’s cases and deaths.
There’s plenty of places to lay blame — a lack of national leadership, inadequate testing, a fragmented response to the virus — that are beyond the control of ordinary citizens. But there is something that all of us can do to help: wear a mask.
Consider that Hong Kong, a metropolis of 7.5 million people, had recorded only four COVID-19 deaths as of Friday. New York, a city of 8.3 million, has suffered more than 17,000. Taiwan, with a population of 24 million, has reported seven deaths. And neither Hong Kong or Taiwan shut down their economies as much as the U.S.