The report estimates a total cost of $18.007 trillion, underscoring the “profound impact this global health crisis has had on the nation,” the commission explains. This figure includes $8.625 trillion in costs due to deaths, $6.026 trillion related to chronic conditions, $1.825 trillion from lost income, $1.096 trillion attributed to mental health, and $435 billion in educational losses. “By understanding and acknowledging these costs, we can lay the groundwork for holding accountable those whose negligence or overt actions exacerbated the pandemic’s severity,” the report adds. In addition to calculating the pandemic’s costs, the report presents evidence suggesting that the virus originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. "The Chinese government did not act responsibly or transparently in the early days of the outbreak," the document states. According to the report, Chinese officials concealed critical information about the virus's origins and timeline from its own citizens, the scientific community, and the global community. “The Chinese government destroyed evidence, actively gagged their own scientists, jailed journalists for the crime of asking questions, and blocked attempts by the international community to investigate the origins of COVID-19,” the commission says. “It engaged in these and other acts despite being a signatory to an international agreement that requires them to notify the World Health Organization of such a public health emergency accurately and in a timely manner,” the report continues. To address these issues, the commission has put forth the following recommendations for Congress and the President:A comprehensive report from the Heritage Foundation's Nonpartisan Commission on China and COVID-19 has detailed the immense financial and human costs of the COVID-19 pandemic on the United States.
