It’s difficult to sit down and write about what’s going on in the world right now. Our lives have been shaken. I wouldn’t say it’s unexpected that a virus can come along and cause great anguish, as most of us have been aware of the possibility of a super-bug for some time. However, the extent to which we are prepared, is the horrific part.
With COVID19 originating in China, most likely from a particular reservoir, carried by a bat, that then mutated to have the ability to infect people, most of us watched it evolve from what felt to be a safe distance. Some people thought, of course China is prone to this sort of thing with how densely populated they are and the sorts of animals used for food in their markets. Where I am is safe. I’m in America. They are on the other side of the world, with a culture and a life much different than my own. This is immensely inaccurate. When a wild fire of disease is spreading fiercely in China, it should be known that with how interconnected we all are and the globalization of our world, that fire will be in our backyard in a matter of time and the clock is ticking.
Many of us remained blissfully unaware how little time we had before our worlds would be turned upside down. We watched from afar the extreme measures taken. Hospitals built, streets being sprayed, mandated quarantine…the number of cases and deaths rolled in. Then it began to spread. We watched what it had begun to do in Italy. They knew it was coming better than the Chinese. They’ll be more ready. No. The state of Italy plummeted as we watched hospitals run out of beds, staff sick and exhausted, decisions having to be made over who would live and who would die.
What is this virus?! We were watching developed countries shut down and fight for survival. Travel was being put to a standstill. Some Americans started getting nervous. Our president and leader, Trump, assured us that this was not a big deal. That he had it covered. That it was a political “hoax.” There was no reason for alarm.
Then we started seeing cases pop up around the U.S. We were slow to testing for this virus and our number of cases were falsely low because of this. Many of us still didn’t ring the bell of alarm yet and continued with our usual day to day plans.
In reading about this virus, it is highly contagious. It sits on surfaces for long periods of time, it’s passed by droplets, it’s airborne, it’s found in stool. It can incubate without symptoms for two weeks, allowing an immense amount of time to pass where further infection can take place.
Early February I went to Home Depot to pick up some extra assurance, an N95 mask. I was alarmed to see that the entire stock was sold out with a note regarding the Corona Virus above where they should have been. I decided to try Menards. They still had the masks. I picked some up for my loved ones, knowing that this is only one line of defense, but an important one since this is an airborne virus. I wasn’t the only one there buying a mask for this purpose. The CDC was telling people to just wash their hands and keep their distance from people who were sick. You see, there simply aren’t enough N95 masks for us all. Not only would it cause panic, but it’s just not realistic for our entire population to have the security of having one. Come to find out, even our healthcare workers on the front lines will be short in supply. This is bad for all of us.
I started watching the spread of the virus on a real time map of the U.S. On this map, positive cases are seen as red circles of doom. Seattle, New York, and California were being hit hard. Each day the circles are growing. The virus spreads exponentially. Something hard for most to comprehend.
Our family made the decision to begin voluntary quarantine. Our mind was made up that we had to do our part to “flatten the curve” and slow the spread so our hospitals would not be overrun. I canceled all of the classes I normally host out of our home and let others know we would not be attending our outside commitments. My husband already works from home, so thankfully for us, we could begin this process a little sooner, but hardly much ahead of what was to come.
News was spreading quickly. Americans were becoming alarmed. Everything was being canceled or told to do so. Other people were beginning to self quarantine. People were emptying shelves of grocery stores and all of a sudden something as simple as toilet paper was a hot topic, one worthy of anger.
The economy started to tank and has continued to do so. There’s much uncertainty for our future at this time. The stock market has dropped significantly, interest rates went down to zero, and the government has been printing money. It’s not good.
Despite all of this, some people continue to not take the situation seriously. Some are still going on vacations and visiting friends. They are going out to eat. They’re trying to live their lives. But this is out of ignorance, denial, or mere stupidity. The world has changed, and quickly, whether you’re ready for it or not.
People are losing their jobs. Schools have shut down. Parents are suddenly finding themselves homeschooling when they never thought they would. Our healthcare providers are rapidly trying to prepare for devastation. We don’t know how long this will last. The world is anxious. How will we come out of this? We are finding out just how fragile our way of life really was. How good we had it.
This post is a bit of a downer, but I want it to be real. Many people are suggesting to journal during this time and I think using the written word as a coping mechanism and a way to record our history, if even for ourselves is a worthy use of time. By allowing others to read it, I hope a raw human connection can be found.
Stay home and stay safe my friends.