Johns Hopkins' latest model predicts 310,000 US deaths by December (if we stay on this trajectory and don't change our behaviors). That's pathetic and tragic.
There will also be thousands of people who survive the virus but have long-lasting or life-long damaging side effects. Sequelae that become pre-existing conditions. Which can preclude them from military service, or getting health insurance (if the ACA is overturned), or even life insurance policies. They will be disabled for the rest of their lives, will have a hard time finding a job, and won't find relief in our so-called safety net.
The Trump administration should be condemned for portraying this novel virus as nothing more than seasonal flu. So should Fox News and Republican sycophants. (They can't be shamed, because they don't have a moral compass or guiding principle that puts people first.)
I've been thinking about my youth, when smallpox and polio were the prevailing infectious diseases that scared the crap out of parents and Public Health officials. Followed by measles, mumps, and rubella. I don't quite know what's happened in the ensuing years that's made people doubt Epidemiology, Virology, or Public Health policies..... but it's disturbing to think thousands of people will have to suffer disabilities, and hundreds of thousands of people will have to die, before the general public -- and our government leaders --- takes covid-19 seriously.