OPINION: To Solve The Pandemic, Biden Must Focus On Equity

Ms. Chavez was barely sustaining her oxygen levels despite being on maximum support through the thick tubing in her nose. Two days before coming to the hospital, Ms. Chavez developed fevers and diarrhea, tested positive for the coronavirus in the emergency department and by the next day was unable to breathe. Her son and daughter-in-law would both test positive soon after as well.

She lived in a small apartment with them and their two small children. The family barely made ends meet — both worked essential jobs, one in a food-processing plant and the other at a fast-food restaurant. Without paid leave, they continued working even after others in their workplaces had tested positive for the coronavirus.

This anecdote is not an anomaly, nor is it the subplot. This is the main story of the COVID-19 pandemic in America, and it demands that all of us — doctors, politicians and everyone else — start approaching the pandemic from the lens of equity as a guiding principle. This is the only way