After the Coronavirus entered the United States, the number of cases reported has exponentially grown. Yet, even though we as citizens got a glimpse of the sheer impact it has in the hospital infrastructure, the United States, a nation known for its resourcefulness, finds itself in immense shortages of protective equipment, ventilators, virus tests, and many more.

As the list of necessities grows, I have come to ask myself, why? Why were we as a nation not prepared for the virus when we saw its devastating impact months ago in countries such as China and Italy. Why do many people ignore the warnings and studies and continue going out, ignoring the fact that the virus is extremely contagious with airborne spread.

Looking closely, this was a grave failure of our nation’s leadership. The United States government serves to protect the people, yet with all the signs in front, the government failed its citizens. With better preparation, our hospitals would not resemble those of third world countries, lacking basic protective equipment and simply space for patients to be seen. With better preparation, our healthcare workers, who have sacrificed not only their time but their health and lives, would not be overworked. With better preparation, we could have saved much more lives.

Times like these are scary, and our government’s ultimate priority should be to protect the people, not the rich, poor, strong, or weak, but every individual in our country. I hope that as our healthcare workers continue to fight COVID-19, our country’s leaders not only understand the impact of their actions, but also work to prevent the next pandemic from happening. Because at the end of the day, pandemics do not and will not stop themselves.