This ignores the deliberately irresponsible and reckless behavior of the Trump administration, the other GOP elected officials in Washington and state capitals, and one 'so-called news broadcaster', Fox News.
Fox News (I now call them Faux News) has played a significant role in this disinformation campaign. The Washington Post ran an article titled:
The data is in: Fox News may have kept millions from taking the coronavirus threat seriously
It quotes this recent study:
The Relation between Media Consumption and Misinformation at the Outset of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in the USA
US national probability-based survey during the early days of the SARS-CoV-2 spread in the US showed that, above and beyond respondents’ political party, mainstream broadcast media use (e.g., NBC News) correlated with accurate information about the disease's lethality, and mainstream print media use (e.g., the New York Times) correlated with accurate beliefs about protection from infection. In addition, conservative media use (e.g., Fox News) correlated with conspiracy theories including believing that some in the CDC were exaggerating the seriousness of the virus to undermine the presidency of Donald Trump. Five recommendations are made to improve public understanding of SARS-CoV-2.
I think this is particularly unforgivable. I hope Trump will go down in flames come November. I hope many of his GOP backers in the Senate and the House suffer the same fate.
I wish there was a way to adequately punish Faux News, without violating the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, for it's role in spreading the pandemic. I think the 1st Amendment, freedom of speech, isn't the issue and shouldn't protect them from real consequences. What Faux News is doing is deliberate spreading of life-threatening disinformation.