The Death Toll Says It All

In late May of 2020, the U.S. hit one of what has become so many grim pandemic milestones: our first 100,000 dead from COVID-19. I remember how heartbroken I was then—and how frustrated. The novel coronavirus, a stealthy pathogen, was bound to take a toll no matter how perfect Americans’ response was to the crisis. But Americans’ response was far from perfect. I was frustrated by people who refused to wear a mask. It made me feel like the lives of my patients—and my own life, as a health-care worker—were disposable. I was frustrated that patients weren’t getting the treatments they needed—like care for —because hospitals across the country overrun. And I was frustrated by the basic needs going unmet: food, housing, and so people with COVID could