Getting a vaccine done in record time is due to dramatic advances in medical science since the past vaccines were developed. Also, they had a good head start, since some of the techniques and concepts were already being worked on since the first SARS virus. Much of this work was done well before Trump even announced he was running for President.
He also had precious little to do with the numbers who have recovered. Contrary to his claims, early on there were reports of shortages from zones with high infection rates, of ventilators and PPE. (It turns out that doctors have figured out better ways of treating COVID-19, so ventilators are used less often.) Acquisition and distribution of those things were left up to each state, without effective guidance from the federal government, to the point where states were competing against each other. Medical experts are once again warning about potential shortages as cases skyrocket, but this time, the biggest shortage might be of health care practitioners up and down the ranks.
The real issue is the rate of infection. The US has about 4% of the world's population, but roughly 25% of the COVID infections. Remember when Trump said there were only about 15 cases in the US and that it would just "go away"? That was the time when it could have been corralled with rigorous testing and contact tracing. We had the experts who knew what to do to gain the upper hand, but they were not listened to and those steps were never taken in this country. In countries where they did, they've had much more success and have minimized spread, even gotten it under control in some places.
As for individual choice, people can only make good decisions when they have good information. Leadership that brings people together and sets a good example makes a huge difference, as we saw in WWII, under FDR. Americans were united in the war effort, willing to make great sacrifices for the good of all fellow Americans. Sadly, it seems that spirit has been in short supply, as well, during this pandemic.
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