Mother nature does have a warped sense of humor.
In May of 2018:
Stephen Schwartz @AtomicAnalyst
When the next pandemic occurs (and make no mistake, it will) and the federal government is unable to respond in a coordinated and effective fashion to protect the lives of US citizens and others, this decision by John Bolton and Donald Trump will be why.
[….]
4:50 PM · May 10, 2018
It’s as if some people with expertise saw this coming.
From 2018:
Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly
By Lena H. Sun
May 10, 2018 at 3:32 p.m. CDTThe top White House official responsible for leading the U.S. response in the event of a deadly pandemic has left the administration, and the global health security team he oversaw has been disbanded under a reorganization by national security adviser John Bolton.
The abrupt departure of Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer from the National Security Council means no senior administration official is now focused solely on global health security. Ziemer’s departure, along with the breakup of his team, comes at a time when many experts say the country is already underprepared for the increasing risks of a pandemic or bioterrorism attack.
[….]
“It seems to actively unlearn the lessons we learned through very hard experience over the last 15 years,” said Konyndyk, now a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development. “These moves make us materially less safe. It’s inexplicable.”
[….]
“…In a world of limited resources, you have to pick and choose…”
That will be chiseled on our tombstones, if there’s anyone left to do it who cares.