Maybe if the US had followed what the article is saying and protected those most at risk, instead of pandering to populist sentiments, they could have fared bet

Maybe if the US had followed what the article is saying and protected those most at risk, instead of pandering to populist sentiments, they could have fared better? Where I live, most of the people dying in 2020 were in nursing homes, while the authorities focused in giving tickets to people who were having picnics outside or taking their kids to the park