COVID came into the US as a viral disease that struck 12 passengers on a cruise ship who were quarantined in California.
Trump was President at the time and he told us it was nothing to worry about. Donald Trump often predicted that COVID-19 would “disappear” or “go away” on its own.
1,500,000 dead Americans later . . . .
AND NOW:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed it is sending a team to Spain’s Canary Islands, where the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is expected to arrive on Sunday, and US passengers will be evacuated to an airbase in Nebraska. However, experts say the US is unprepared for such a disease threat.
The CDCs limited role in responding to the hantavirus outbreak is raising questions, including whether it now has a diminished role in responding to health scares. Most of the response has been led by the World Health Organization (WHO), of which the US is no longer a member.
The hantavirus outbreak was reported to the WHO on 2 May; a notice issued two days later updated to seven confirmed or suspected cases. Three people had died, one person was critically ill and three others had mild symptoms.
On Wednesday, the CDC said in a statement it was “closely monitoring the situation” and said the state department was leading a “whole-of-government response including direct contact with passengers, diplomatic coordination, and engagement with domestic and international health authorities”. It wasn’t until Thursday that the CDC activated its 24/7 emergency center in Atlanta to monitor the recent hantavirus outbreak and classified it at its lowest activation level.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/09/cdc-hantavirus-who-cruise-ship-outbreak-response