We now know that the coronavirus pandemic is deadly serious for all of the world’s people. This fact has been reasonably clear since mid-January, and was undeniably clear a month later. As of now, this nation does not have the pandemic under control, and we did not control it at any time since it began. Our situation is not “fine” in any sense of the word and has not been since January’s first coronavirus outbreaks on board cruise ships and in the Seattle area.
This pandemic is not a partisan issue and has never been one.
It is not and never was a “hoax.”
Though there are similarities, the coronavirus differs from the flu in some important respects. It appears to spread more efficiently and be more deadly. And for this coronavirus, unlike the flu, we do not have a vaccine, and can’t expect one for another year.
It is a public health emergency for which our national government was not prepared.
Our lack of preparedness was made manifest by the ineptitude of federal officials with responsibility for addressing the crisis from the beginning, an exception being Dr. Anthony Fauci at the Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.). Many former and current federal officials and disaster experts have noted that unfilled jobs and high turnover within the federal government mean that the government was ill-equipped for this crisis.
The Washington Post described the early days of the pandemic as a time “in which crucial opportunities to respond were squandered by systemic federal government failures.”
We need wide distribution of rapid tests, but they are not being provided in sufficient quantities to protect the public and the nurses and doctors who are treating people all day and all night, all the time.
The need for ventilators will become critical in the next ten days. The Washington Post reported on April 4: “Eleven days from now, the country will need 32,000 ventilators, far more than are in the government stockpile, according to an estimate by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Because U.S. officials played down the virus for so long, Ford and General Motors only recently overhauled their factories to make the machines, and the bulk of their production won’t come on line until May.”
The C.D.C., as of April 4, is recommending that everyone wear home-made masks when in public. The picture you see at the top of this post is of me, showing how I dress when going to the grocery store or the post office or to purchase other supplies. I retrieved an efficient dust mask from my workshop, and used some tight-fitting knit material I had on hand to cover it and secure it close to my face (which helps because I have a beard). Others are making their own masks using sewing machines, tape, staples, rubber bands, hair ties, elastic, paper, and whatever other supplies are available around their homes, if they have homes. Plans for homemade masks abound on the internet here, here, here, and here.
When I go out, I wear a floppy hat to provide some protection for my eyes (goggles or glasses would probably be better) and cover all of my body with clothing, except for my hands, which I wash frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds, as well as use hand sanitizer between washing or upon entering or leaving a store, and I sanitize the immediate area around me in my car after returning to it, as well as the door handle.
When I get home from such outings, I strip off all outer clothing, including the knit fabric that keeps my mask snug, and place it immediately in the washer. I then wash all exposed parts of my body with soap and water or take a shower before putting on clean clothes. The purpose of these measures is not just to protect myself, but to protect others, because I can’t know if I have been exposed to the coronavirus and may be infected and infecting others.
Staying six feet apart is beneficial if you are talking to someone else because microscopic coronavirus particles from one’s mouth or nose can carry several feet and remain in the air for up to 30 minutes. Sneezes can carry such particles even further than six feet, so homemade masks help prevent the spread of such particles to others. The masks also keep us from touching our faces and spreading the virus.
I am fortunate that I can afford to take such measures and manage my own grocery shopping, along with taking advantage of curbside delivery at one grocery chain in our area, as well as a home delivery service. But there are tens of millions (if not half the population) of Americans who can’t afford such luxuries. Our local food bank is straining to buy food from money donations provided by those who can afford to make them (food donations, even if available, may cause extra work because all food donations must be disinfected). Many recipients can’t pick up their own food and don’t have anyone to do so for them. Local groups and individuals need to help by providing home delivery to these people or financially support home delivery.
Even if the response of the federal government to help hospitals, nurses, and doctors has been inadequate, we who can afford to do so can respond to human needs in our localities.
These problems are not unforeseen. We, as a country, experienced a flu pandemic in 1917-18. The person who would have been my first-born aunt died as an infant in that pandemic. In 1947, Albert Camus published a novel, “The Plague,” which in many respects sounds like it was written yesterday. It was about a plague in French Algeria. The local government was slow to act. It downplayed the seriousness of the public health emergency that became an enormous epidemic. There was confusion and disagreement among officials while the deaths mounted.
Fortunately, most of our state and local officials have acted admirably and swiftly, but they do not have some of the tools available to the federal government. Now, as we have passed 300,000 cases in this country, heading to 400,000, with projections that suggest we may have more deaths than any other country in the world before this pandemic fades, we must be responsible for ourselves and our own behavior, and to the extent we can, for our local communities and neighborhoods, and for those who need help. For more ideas on how to help, look at this Washington Post article.
Camus’ narrator in “The Plague” says, “I have no idea what’s awaiting me or what will happen when this all ends. For the moment I know this: there are sick people and they need curing.”
We need a lot of curing and a lot of caring to deal with this plague. It is up to us. It has become obvious that we cannot rely on the federal government to serve the common good in a timely fashion. The US will likely have the largest number of casualties from this virus. That is the opposite of being great. When this plague has ended, we will put this country and its economy back together. At least, those of us who are left will do so, and perhaps we can assure that never again will the federal government fail in its basic obligation to protect the health and welfare of all of us.
Many, perhaps most, of the readers of this blog are people who are older than 60 years of age. We also frequently have an underlying medical problems that put us at even more risk. Waiting 12-18 months for a vaccine is a huge challenge. So staying alive until then requires extraordinary vigilance and good judgement.
Lamar, as usual, you hit the nail by your eloquently expressed hammer. May all reading this blog take heed and survive this plague and be kind to each other in the process.
“This pandemic is not a partisan issue and has never been one.” Sorry to see you make it one, Lamar.
Telling the truth should never be seen as partisan. The truth should be what all of us seek.
Your information that food pantries prefer money to actual food donations is interesting It must have not yet reached the local one here in Gahanna, OH. Every week there is a drop-off collection point for GRIN (Gahanna Neighbors in Need) at the high school. I’ve dropped off the requested items every one of the last three weeks. It’s a small grassroots organization. Most donations come from individuals and drives in workplaces, schools, civic organizations, and houses of worship. So if people or groups are not dropping off non-perishable food, volunteers have to purchase it somewhere.
Switching subjects, though, people need to stop focusing on the negative. The mortality rate for people 60-69 who contract COVID-19 is 3.6%. For those 70-79 is it about 7-8%. For those 80 and over it is about 15%. This is an overall rate, including those with known risk factors. So most people will *survive*, not die, even though it might be a difficult road to survival. COVID-19 is not an automatic death sentence, regardless of age or health.
Generally food banks are larger operations with staff, as well as volunteers. They often have resources not available to food pantries, where they can purchase food for less than we can to make a donation. Also, purchasing food for family use is not easy where I live, so making a donation to our Food Bank is our best choice. Undoubtedly, there are many differences around the country depending on the waythe food service is organized. I’m glad you helped make this distinction.