Schools have been shut down or pushed online, people are being told to work from home if possible, and President Trump has declared a national emergency. It feels like the end of the world is at my doorstep, but at the same time it feels like "it won't actually happen to me". Statistics pour out every minute, and cases are rising all across the world, especially in the U.S.

At first I was shocked that confirmed cases in the U.S.were rising exponentially and only 15,000 people approximately had been tested so far in the nation. How were we supposed to assess such an outbreak if more and more people are not tested? Then it occurred to me that Americans struggle to gain access to testing and treatments for diseases we already know. What is going to happen to all of the Americans who are uninsured?

America's strictly privatized and stratified healthcare system is not equipped to take care of an entire population at once, and equally. Testing for coronavirus has only recently become easier by technology developed by a German company, which would allow for drive-through testing. But this has only recently been introduced. And once people are tested, how will they be able to afford medication, treatment, or care if positive?

The COVID-19 will teach us many lessons about health, medicine, bias, media coverage, and most of all the capacity of our healthcare. It is also important to remember that America has a shortage of physicians, with overworked residents at the forefront of this pandemic. We must remember that both physicians and patients are disadvantaged by the system that employs and serves them respectively.

There is a fear that the U.S. might end up like Italy which has been unable to care for so many cases, leading to a rising mortality rate. America has incredible physicians, medicines, and treatments, but has little experience making them available to everyone. This could be our downfall if we do not act fast and make big changes to the structure of our system.