Uncontrolled Spread

The United States was not ready to mount an effective defense against the novel coronavirus.

Once the first case of COVID-19 appeared in the United States, the disease spread silently through the country, evading detection by US officials. The most significant obstacle to controlling the spread was the lack of widespread diagnostic testing.

The government based its response on a “pandemic playbook” ill-suited to managing this type of virus. The Strategic National Stockpile, a cache of drugs and medical gear set aside for emergencies, was low on important items and missing others.

In January 2020, China reported that a mystery disease had hit the city of Wuhan.

Chinese officials revealed the first cases had shown up in December 2019. They said an animal sold at an open-air food market was the source of the infection and maintained there was no “human-to-human transmission.” The speed of the spread suggested otherwise, and the most recent cases didn’t appear to have any connection to the market.

On January 18, Chinese officials announced there were 198 cases, but London researchers suspected there ...