The United States, with much capacity at the start of the pandemic, has shocked the world by its poor response to COVID-19, U.S. newspaper The Seattle Times has reported.

The United States, which once ranked first for being ready for a virus outbreak, has been among the worst in the world in both COVID-19 infections and deaths, the report said.

Compared with countries with good anti-pandemic performance, the United States enjoys far less citizen's trust in government, it added.