We are living through history, they will be talking about the virus fro centuries to come, just like they talk about the flu of 1917 & 1918.
And to tell the truth, I am very concerned about getting the virus, I am a senior citizen, have diabetes and other health problems. I have limited my contacts with other people, wear a mask when I go out in public, maintain six foot “social distance”, and wash my hands after contact with surfaces like gas pumps.
Once the rules for social contact I still plan on staying at home and limiting contact with people. But I see people flocking to beaches and store ignoring all warnings from health officials. I see a second wave coming not in the fall but within 21 days of the lifting of the stay-at-home orders.
Back in 1918 they also had laws requiring the wearing of masks in public and those who didn’t were called “Mask Slackers” and they had a saying… "Obey the laws, and wear the gauze. Protect your jaws from septic paws."
Now several months the pandemic I see the people are divided into two camps which I call “us” and “me.” The Us’s wear the masks and keep social distancing while the “Me’s” ignore all the health protections because of… well they created several excuses. “Its hot!” “It fogs my glasses.” And the worst excuse of all “It infringes on my liberties!”
Then there are those who still believe that COVID-19 is no worst than the flu but those voices are dying out (probably literally as well as figuratively). I think that they in the “Me” camp because I didn’t get it so it must be a hoax and they deny the reports of the deaths attributed to COVID-19 as deaths from other causes such as heart disease. Their thinking is that they had heart disease before they got COVID-19 when they died of heart failure brought on because of the virus it was really a heart attack and not COVID-19 that killed.
Even worst of that there are politicians that are saying that it is okay that the sick, the disabled, and the elderly are dying.
Early on in the era of “Stay-at-home” most people followed the rule, traffic behind my house on the state road was almost non-existent but even before the easing of the stay-at-home orders traffic picked up almost to previous traffic levels and more people got bored of staying at home and breaking the governor’s order.
The other concerns that I have over the virus is Trump (I will not call him president until he shows leadership and behaves presidential) who is stirring up descent and making the virus political. Under his administration he had said that he would deny humanitarian assistance to states with Democrat governors and he called for undermining the governor's' authorities when he,
I see Trump’s politicizing of COVID-19 having major consequences when the second wave hits by adding to the frustration of the people to the stay-at-home orders.
The Coronavirus highlighted health disparity that we have in this country. Disparities between the rich and the working class and the health disparities between the races.
If you look at the map…
You will see that the virus took hold in the cities while the suburban towns had fewer infections and rural towns in the quite corners the virus is almost non-existent.
I think (and this will probably be studied in the decades to come) one of the reasons is apartment houses and multifamily houses, people are in close contact with other residents of the apartments while in the suburbs homes are isolated by yards. I live in the suburbs and I haven’t been in contact with any of my neighbors, the only people that I come in contact with are the people I choose to be in contact with. The clerks in stores and some of my friends that I trust my life with, those that I know that exercise social distancing.
If you look at the data on race…
You will see that minorities have a very high infection and death rate compared to non-Hispanic whites and the question is why?
I think that the main reason boils down to… income.
I think many minorities are working at low paying jobs that do not pay a living wage nor have health insurance. Without health insurance they may not be able to afford proper healthcare. If they have health insurance many of them lost the insurance when they were laid off because of the pandemic.
America is the only western country that ties healthcare with employment, if you have a good paying job it usually comes with health care while minimum paying jobs do not.
This pandemic has shown the need for universal healthcare.
My prognosis:
Is not good, I see a second wave of infections in mid-summer from all those who ignore “social distancing” and the wearing of mask when the stay-at-home orders are lifted. I see the virus coming back with vengeance in the fall and winter.
They will most likely have a vaccination this year which I will get but not one of the first ones, I don’t trust Trump’s FDA to follow proper procedures, I see them cutting corners to get it out by the time that Trump promised.
Another concern is that Trump will use the unrest over the virus and the murdering of George Floyd to impose martial law and to disrupt the November elections.
Coronavirus will go down in the history books
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Nurses carry a patient in St. Louis, Missouri, during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918.
And to tell the truth, I am very concerned about getting the virus, I am a senior citizen, have diabetes and other health problems. I have limited my contacts with other people, wear a mask when I go out in public, maintain six foot “social distance”, and wash my hands after contact with surfaces like gas pumps.
Once the rules for social contact I still plan on staying at home and limiting contact with people. But I see people flocking to beaches and store ignoring all warnings from health officials. I see a second wave coming not in the fall but within 21 days of the lifting of the stay-at-home orders.
Back in 1918 they also had laws requiring the wearing of masks in public and those who didn’t were called “Mask Slackers” and they had a saying… "Obey the laws, and wear the gauze. Protect your jaws from septic paws."
In the 1918 flu pandemic, not wearing a mask was illegal in some parts of America. What changed? |
Then there are those who still believe that COVID-19 is no worst than the flu but those voices are dying out (probably literally as well as figuratively). I think that they in the “Me” camp because I didn’t get it so it must be a hoax and they deny the reports of the deaths attributed to COVID-19 as deaths from other causes such as heart disease. Their thinking is that they had heart disease before they got COVID-19 when they died of heart failure brought on because of the virus it was really a heart attack and not COVID-19 that killed.
Even worst of that there are politicians that are saying that it is okay that the sick, the disabled, and the elderly are dying.
A planning commissioner of a Northern California city was removed from his post Friday night after saying that just as a forest fire clears dead brush, “the sick, the old, the injured” should be left to meet their “natural course in nature” during the coronavirus outbreak.I see this as harkening back to the days of NAZI Germany where they murdered the sick, the infirmed, and what they called back then “the mentally deficient.”
Early on in the era of “Stay-at-home” most people followed the rule, traffic behind my house on the state road was almost non-existent but even before the easing of the stay-at-home orders traffic picked up almost to previous traffic levels and more people got bored of staying at home and breaking the governor’s order.
The other concerns that I have over the virus is Trump (I will not call him president until he shows leadership and behaves presidential) who is stirring up descent and making the virus political. Under his administration he had said that he would deny humanitarian assistance to states with Democrat governors and he called for undermining the governor's' authorities when he,
...called on supporters Friday to "liberate" states that have experienced protests over coronavirus lockdowns, a day after he unveiled guidelines aimed at reopening the nation's economy.His call was met by armed protesters who took over state capitols buildings around the country.
I see Trump’s politicizing of COVID-19 having major consequences when the second wave hits by adding to the frustration of the people to the stay-at-home orders.
The Coronavirus highlighted health disparity that we have in this country. Disparities between the rich and the working class and the health disparities between the races.
If you look at the map…
From yesterday’s COVID-19 Update May 30, 2020 |
I think (and this will probably be studied in the decades to come) one of the reasons is apartment houses and multifamily houses, people are in close contact with other residents of the apartments while in the suburbs homes are isolated by yards. I live in the suburbs and I haven’t been in contact with any of my neighbors, the only people that I come in contact with are the people I choose to be in contact with. The clerks in stores and some of my friends that I trust my life with, those that I know that exercise social distancing.
If you look at the data on race…
From COVID-19 Update May 7, 2020 |
You will see that minorities have a very high infection and death rate compared to non-Hispanic whites and the question is why?
I think that the main reason boils down to… income.
I think many minorities are working at low paying jobs that do not pay a living wage nor have health insurance. Without health insurance they may not be able to afford proper healthcare. If they have health insurance many of them lost the insurance when they were laid off because of the pandemic.
America is the only western country that ties healthcare with employment, if you have a good paying job it usually comes with health care while minimum paying jobs do not.
This pandemic has shown the need for universal healthcare.
My prognosis:
Is not good, I see a second wave of infections in mid-summer from all those who ignore “social distancing” and the wearing of mask when the stay-at-home orders are lifted. I see the virus coming back with vengeance in the fall and winter.
They will most likely have a vaccination this year which I will get but not one of the first ones, I don’t trust Trump’s FDA to follow proper procedures, I see them cutting corners to get it out by the time that Trump promised.
Another concern is that Trump will use the unrest over the virus and the murdering of George Floyd to impose martial law and to disrupt the November elections.
Coronavirus will go down in the history books
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Nurses carry a patient in St. Louis, Missouri, during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918.