164 - Economist James K. Galbraith on COVID-19

At the beginning of the pandemic, many in the US seemed to view public health measures like lockdowns and social distancing and economic recovery as a tradeoff. But economist Dr. James Galbraith says this is an incorrect assumption, and that early failures to contain the virus mean the US now has uncontrolled spread and a less resilient economy. Galbraith talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the current state of the US economy, the failure of the government to launch an effective public health response, why another shutdown may be necessary, and what we need to think about to address urgent economic impacts to low-income and minority populations hit hard by the pandemic. KEYWORDS: unemployment; health equity; schools