Who’s responsible for containing COVID-19?
California has declared a state of emergency to tackle the coronavirus, but hasn't imposed further shutdowns on the local level. (Technophile82/Deposit Photos/)Brian Labus is an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This story originally featured on The Conversation.President Donald Trump recently appointed Vice President Mike Pence to lead the government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak and control public statements by government health officials about the crisis.In the days since, health departments throughout the country have investigated potential cases, announced new cases and declared public health emergencies, all without the approval of the vice president.So who really is in charge of the outbreak response?As with most things in American government, the answer is complicated.Power to the statesSome framers of the Constitution were concerned about giving the federal government too much power, so the 10th Amendment reserves to the states any powers not specifically delegated...