May 7th – Melinda Gates; 6 weeks earlier on March 29th – Let’s Have a Plan analyzed the federal government performance and also ranked it a D-

On May 7th just over a week ago, Melinda Gates gave the Trump administration a D- for how they have handled the outbreak.

She cited the lack of a coordinated, national response. Saying the governors were stepping up with “50 different homegrown state solutions,” instead of a national response.

On March 29th, Karen and Kaliya rated the federal government’s performance a D-, quoting our post we scored the US performance against four metrics that medical and public health providers outlined:

We decided to grade the US performance so far against the four main performance metrics and detailed strategies/tactics that the medical and legal experts laid out earlier this month –and — the grades are not good: 

Adequate Funding and Support for the Response must be Provided. = Grade C-

Surging Healthcare demand must be Managed and Patients and Healthcare Workers Protected. = Grade D-

Clear, Evidence-Based Communication is Critical to Manage Public Fear.  = Grade F

Support and Resources Must be Provided for Fair and Effective Infection Control.  = Grade C and TBD

We used as the basis of our judgement a March 3rd letter from public health and legal experts.

“We write as experts in public health, law, and human rights, with experience in previous pandemic responses, set forth principles and practices that should guide the efforts against COVID-19 in the US. It is essential that all institutions, public and private, address the following critical concerns through new legislation, institutional policies, leadership and spending.”

“The COVID-19 outbreak is unprecedented in recent American history, and there is no playbook for an epidemiological event of this scope and magnitude. To mitigate its impact, you must act swiftly, fairly, and effectively. We urge you to take these recommendations seriously and act urgently so that we are best protected from the damage of this unprecedented microbial threat and the possible harms of an uninformed or poorly conceived response.”

Hop over to our March 29th post to see our detailed analysis from that date.