Ed Yong's main point is one about the disconnect between the US leadership's performance, and what the virus is actually doing on the ground in the US-highlighting the WH's incongruent linguistics. To me, it is like fingernails on a classroom blackboard, except far worse.

The word "beaten" in the SARS-CoV-2 virus's context comes close to being appropriate if zero community transmission is achieved, like in New Zealand. That being said, we in NZ are incrementally improving our approach for the next outbreak.