The system having the tools to fight a pandemic is worlds different than those tools being utilized by leadership. The index speaks to the former, not the latter. "The media" (see also: the president's own words) speak to the latter. It's not the media's fault it took the president a week to go from blabbering about the Defense Production Act to actually using it. It's not the media's fault that the president takes to Twitter to yell about GM using a plant it doesn't even own anymore. It's not the media's fault the president said "Completely contained. 15 cases soon down to zero" a month ago. The media doesn't make the president spew "some say" flowed by lines of untrue drivel that no experts agree with because it came from the bowels of QAnon. The president didn't take COVID-19 even a little seriously until the stock market started tanking, and even now his level of seriousness is highly questionable as he's waging his grievance war publicly against governors who need federal help to save lives, and that's not the media's fault either. But keep going to "the media" boogeyman. ???? I'm sure you'll just dismiss this for various reasons, but I live in a state with a governor I disagree with on 90%+ of policy issues, but Mike DeWine is doing a fantastic job with the pandemic. Why? Because he took it seriously early and has been taking action based on recommendations of public health experts.
In happier news, this could be huge: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/03/27/us/15-minute-coronavirus-test/index.html?__twitter_impression=true