COVID-19 seems to be making its way around the world. The question of whether it will arrive in any given place has been replaced by the questions of when and how. The toll it ultimately takes will be significantly shaped by preexisting conditions. That's what we hear about those individuals who have succumbed in China, but I'm sensing that "preexisting conditions" applies also to nations. The reactions and overreactions in county after country reflect great political and cultural differences (and some commonalities, denial and scapegoating). I fear for how we in the US will do, not only because our feckless president has so weakened the resources for coordinating a response but because so many Americans lack any kind of health insurance.
