北京1月7日电 (蒋鲤)美国约翰斯·霍普金斯大学的统计显示，全美3日新增新冠确诊病例突破100万例，再次刷新疫情暴发以来单日新增病例最高纪录。确诊病例激增致使民怨沸腾，一些政客却仍能面不改色心不跳地宣称“公众场合是否戴口罩是个人自由”，甚至还在通过“栽赃”中国等手段转移国内焦点，疫情防控彻底沦为党派斗争的牺牲品。
截至美东时间4日凌晨，美国累计确诊超5600万例，累计死亡超82万例，是全球新冠肺炎确诊病例和死亡病例最多的国家。作为全球医疗体系最为健全和发达的国家之一，美国新冠确诊病例再创新高，实在令人瞠目结舌。
如今，美国政客宣扬的所谓“口罩自由”“疫苗自由”误导不少国内民众，导致基础防疫措施无法有效施行。标榜人道主义和人权的美国，在疫苗分配上却强调“美国优先”，不仅不配合全球疫苗计划，还指责中国疫苗援助及对疫苗生产原材料实施出口管制。美国大量囤积远超其人口所需的疫苗，迟迟不肯援助发展中国家，加剧全球疫苗分配不公。然而，美国疫苗全程接种率只有60.84%，普通民众对于接种疫苗的态度竟取决于党派归属，充足的疫苗储备和低迷的接种率，形成了“黑色幽默式”的反差。
推行口罩令更是举步维艰。不同党派和利益群体之间就戴口罩是否侵犯个人自由展开了拉锯战，戴不戴口罩沦为了“个人自由”概念和党派斗争的牺牲品。众所周知，接种疫苗和佩戴口罩是最基本且有效的防控手段，但党派的极端对立、社会的严重分化，让美国两党在疫情防控中陷入“为反对而反对”的政治博弈，以至于整个国家深陷疫情泥潭无法自拔。
此外，为了“提振经济”，美国的政党漠视本国普通民众的利益和生命，忽视疫情警告，刻意淡化风险，多次错过有效遏制疫情的最佳时机。疫情防控是系统性的工作，隔离、筛查、跟踪、接种疫苗等等诸多环节缺一不可。但由于政府监管和执行不力，各项防控措施漏洞百出，甚至出现虚假检测点和假冒的新冠病毒家庭检测盒。疫情迟迟得不到有效缓解，让普通民众陷入倦怠情绪，放松警惕，防疫工作雪上加霜。
确诊数字的激增不仅仅是数字的变化，背后是一条条鲜活生命的逝去与挣扎。应对新冠肺炎大流行上的混乱无序，实则反映出美国政府对民众生命的漠视，更折射出其制度的缺陷和失灵。面对可能出现的更多的变异毒株，美国必须形成合力，重新制定行之有效的防控政策，别再让民众用生命来买单，否则将无法走出疫情“寒冬”。(完)
Record-breaking cases reveal U.S. failure in Covid control
By John Lee
(ECNS) — With the most developed medical system in the world, the U.S. still saw over 1 million newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, a single-day record since the outbreak of the pandemic, revealing the U.S. governments failure in controlling the virus.
The country has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world, with the number surpassing 56 million and 820,000 respectively as of early Tuesday morning, according to John Hopkins University.
Americans inappropriate pursuit of “freedom” as “sold” by politicians makes basic COVID-19 prevention and control measures like wearing a mask or vaccination hard to implement in the country.
The U.S. upholds the “America first” principle in vaccine distribution. It not only fails to cooperate with the global vaccine distribution plan, but also controls the export of raw materials for vaccine production while criticizing China for assisting developing countries with vaccines. It has hoarded a large number of vaccines far exceeding the needs of its population, but its full vaccination rate barely exceeds 60 percent, since peoples attitude towards vaccination depends on their party affiliation, which is rather sarcastic.
The mask order is even more difficult to implement in America. Parties and groups began a tug-of-war on whether wearing masks violates personal freedom, resulting in the mask becoming a victim of “personal freedom” and partisan struggle. Vaccination and wearing masks are the most basic but effective methods to fight against COVID-19. However, the extreme opposition between parties and the serious division of society has turned the COVID-19 fight into a “game of power” in the country.
In addition, the U.S. government failed to effectively supervise or implement its pandemic response policies, thus fueling illegal action. For example, counterfeit COVID-19 detection stations and fraudulent test kits for COVID-19 have popped up in some parts of the U.S. The serious, long-term pandemic situation is wearing its people out. They have gradually let their guard down, making epidemic prevention in the country even worse.
What lies behind the surging deaths is not only the countrys policy disorders in the COVID fight, but also its neglect of lives. The U.S. government has to reflect on its mistakes and re-formulate powerful prevention and control measures to respond to other possible variants effectively, or its people will continue to pay for these mistakes at the cost of their lives.