logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2020
23m 51s

Why did the USA fail in its initial coro...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

‘It’s a failing, let's admit it’ says top health official, Dr Anthony Fauci. He’s talking about the fact that it took a month for a working coronavirus test to be rolled out around the country, while other countries were testing thousands of people. How was this allowed to happen? In this edition of The Inquiry, we explore the ways in which the US lost valuable time in dealing with the coronavirus and how their health system could make things more difficult still.

(A cleaning crew adjusts protective clothing as they prepare to enter the Nursing Home in Kirkland, Seattle Washington which has had the most deaths due to COVID-19 in the USA.Credit:John Moore/Getty Images)

Up next
Yesterday
Is daylight saving time working?
The House of Representatives has voted to make daylight saving time permanent in the United States. If the measure is approved by the Senate and becomes law, most Americans would no longer spring forward in March or fall back in November.For more than a century, changing the cloc ... Show More
24m 35s
Aug 4
Is Indigenous education at risk?
New Zealand’s government is making big changes to its education system. The aim is to reverse declining student achievement and give more opportunities to disadvantaged children. The subjects of reading, writing, maths and science form the core of the new curriculum. But there ar ... Show More
24m 18s
Jul 28
Can we live with extreme heat?
Extreme heatwaves are becoming more frequent across the globe, not only in countries used to cooler climates, but also in those already familiar with significantly hotter temperatures. Intense heat can have an impact on the human body, from heat stroke to dehydration to skin dama ... Show More
24m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
Dr Anthony Fauci: What did the US get wrong about Covid?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Dr Anthony Fauci, soon to retire as President Biden’s chief medical adviser. Under Trump, then Biden, Dr Fauci was at the forefront of America’s Covid response, which compares poorly with other rich world nations. What went wrong, and who’s to blame? 
24m 5s
Mar 2020
Why the American Approach Is Failing
<p>So far, the United States has been losing the battle against the pandemic, with a patchwork of inconsistent measures across the country proving unequal to halting the spread of the virus. Today, we ask: What will it take to change the course of the crisis?</p><p>Guest: <a href ... Show More
28m 57s
Mar 2020
The U.S. stumbled at the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Can we make up for lost time?
The World Health Organization has declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. The virus has spread in the United States, with new cases reported daily, deaths totaling more than three dozen, and an expanding list of large-scale cancellations, including the NBA, the ... Show More
20m 18s
Jul 2020
Dr. Fauci: U.S. isn’t going in the right direction
As 38 states see a rise in coronavirus cases, White House Task Force Member Dr. Anthony Fauci says he thinks “it’s pretty obvious that we are not going in the right direction.” The Texas governor is now requiring face coverings in public places “in counties with 20 or more positi ... Show More
41m 48s
Jan 2022
We Need to Talk About Covid, Part 2: A Conversation with Dr. Fauci
<p>America, it seems, might be at a turning point in how we think about and respond to the pandemic. Yet, the U.S., at this moment, is still in the midst of crisis — thousands of people are in hospital and dying every day.</p><p>In the second part of our exploration of the state ... Show More
35m 9s
Jun 2020
The U.S. Wasn’t Prepared for COVID-19
We are over four months into the Covid-19 pandemic and the U.S. still doesn't have the testing capabilities, contact tracing, or political buy-in that many other countries have used to fight this virus. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks with Dr. Zeke Emanue ... Show More
22m 18s
Dec 2020
Why Did the U.S. Turn Down Vaccine Doses?
<p>From the start of the pandemic, the Trump administration said it was committed to ordering and stockpiling enough potential vaccine doses to end the outbreak in the United States as quickly as possible.</p><p>But new reporting from The Times has revealed that Pfizer, the maker ... Show More
25m 38s
Jan 2021
CDC: Nearly 2.8 million COVID vaccine doses administered; Trump administration’s goal was 20 million by today.
With hours left in 2020, Trump admin. fails miserably in reaching own goal of administering 20 million doses by year’s end. Fauci Considering giving more Americans a first COVID vaccine dose instead of saving them for a second dose. FBI investigating after WI hospital says 500+ v ... Show More
45m 29s