I haven’t written in a bit, again, since my birthday reflection.
The real reason is that I am so fed up with COVID-19. And not just the virus itself. But with the completely inept response that has landed the US at the top of the undesired leader board for deaths and total cases.
It is so tragic to me that we have already lost so many lives. It is heartbreaking to me that our medical professionals and frontline workers must continue to solider on in this war to save lives. Risking their own lives to take care of some who were simply unlucky and some who were completely irresponsible. I am so sad that I still can’t see my family safely – just a short plane ride away. I am angry that my kids will spend their fall remote learning from home when they should be learning in school – with the social interaction, extra-curricular activities and better education that in-person learning will present. And I am so baffled that our country is not ENRAGED by this complete and utter mess we have found ourselves in.
I know many are sick of talking about COVID-19. Believe me, I am so, so sick of it. But the great irony is that until we educate ourselves – and actually collectively take steps to stop, or at least curtail this virus – we will continue to see deaths and illnesses skyrocket. Our lives – at least in some states – will continue to be curtailed. We will endlessly quarantine – some of us more successfully than others. And even when there is a vaccine (it can’t come soon enough), shouldn’t we all be learning lessons that we will carry forward?
We are collectively responsible for the spread and we will collectively feel the pain of its impact. I can’t fathom why this country does not have collective empathy or concern for the collective good. Are we really that collectively selfish? By all data-based accounts, we collectively are.
A few facts to consider.
As of today, the US has over 5M confirmed cases of COVID-19. This is one in 65 Americans. This is over ¼ of total cases in the entire world. That’s right. The ENTIRE WORLD (with 19.6M total confirmed cases). Our country has lost 164, 245 lives to COVID-19 – that have been officially reported. The number is likely far, far greater. I did not round that number for friendlier reading because each and every one of those lives matter.
If that doesn’t resonate with you, how about if you consider that our current COVID-19 death rate (as of today) is greater than all lives lost in World War I and exponentially more than the Vietnam War and the Revolutionary War. COVID-19 has already killed more people – in the last few months – than the Vietnam War, Korean War, and H1N1 flu pandemic – combined. The CDC reports there will be an additional 50K deaths by August 22. 50 Thousand Deaths. Why are we all not outraged??
And this is so not like the flu. In April, COVID-19 became the deadliest disease in the United States, killing more people per day than cancer or heart disease. If you look at the months between February and May, COVID-19 killed more people than influenza, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s – combined.
And even when “cured”, many are facing what may be lifelong challenges such as significant organ damage. My dear college roommate Michele Munz, recently wrote this heartbreaking and eye-opening account in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
How on earth can smart people make fun or ridicule basic hygiene practices like wearing masks and social distancing, endorsed by every expert health organization as proven methods to curb the disease? Would we make fun of veterans who died in wars? Would we ridicule those dying of heart disease or cancer? This virus has taken more lives than all of the most modern wars and illnesses. We should be collectively at war to stop it. Where is the basic goodness that should define us all as people?
I am terrified by the explosive growth of the virus in places where people I love reside. As I write this, I got my daily alert update from the Seattle Times that 670 new COVID-19 cases were diagnosed yesterday. In Washington. Currently 1688 people have died in my state.
In Seattle we have sadly been at the forefront of this disease as the first city in the US to have a case diagnosed. We know now that the virus was likely widespread in the US before it was diagnosed. This is simply tragic.
But what is so baffling to me is that people aren’t paying more attention to the spread. California has the most confirmed cases currently (545, 787) with Florida hot on its heels (532, 806). New York, also hit early, has the most deaths at 32, 768. It blows my mind that there isn’t more fear in the southern states where the virus is spreading like wildfire. Some of the people I love most in the world are right in the heat of the battle in states like Texas, Arkansas and Missouri – if you look at per capita infection rates. In many states, there is either a complete lack of awareness or concern for the potential for COVID-19 to impact people or their loved ones. The state-based approach is failing us all miserably.
There are lots of good scientific trackers on the Web. This data comes from the NYT tracker pulling from CDC data. Before you travel – anywhere – it is wise to be aware of the risks. There is a reason most of the free world is not welcoming American travelers right now. We are collectively dangerous.
If you take a scientific or data-based view to health, this isn’t rocket science. We are actually one of the very few industrialized nations to have such an epicly failed response to COVID-19. This isn’t hopeless. Or “what will be will be.” Or heaven forbid, survival of the fittest or our generation’s greatest gamble. The answers are simple. We can learn from other countries. Consider COVID-19 deaths in the last seven days:
- Australia: 70
- Canada: 37
- France: 51
- Germany: 49
- Italy: 55
- Japan: 27
- Spain: 57
- Sweden: 27
- UK: 414
- US: 7,189
Even in the US, New York has proven it is possible to contain the virus. Kids in New York will be going back to school this fall. In the initially hardest hit state.
For the rest of us, I hope we can set aside partisan lines and do the right, human thing for each other. Social distance. WEAR YOUR MASKS! Wash your hands. Do not touch your face. The CDC is giving us sound advice that has worked incredibly well in other countries.
I really can’t understand how this turned into a freedom issue (actually I do know…but won’t opine on that here), but in the same way we have laws for basic safety like wearing seatbelts and helmets, it is a basic safety guideline to take care of ourselves and each other as best we can. This is not a discussion of individualism. Collectively, we will over-run our hospitals. Collectively, we will create shortages of PPE and other critical supplies. Collectively, we will over-burden an already fledgling testing system. Individually, we will certainly fail these systems and each others.
Eventually, I hope we can all find our way back to sort of normal. With the people we love, healthy and safe, to enjoy the future with. And I hope we don’t lose hundreds of thousands of more lives – not to a war. Or a disease that could not be prevented. But due to selfishness and our lack of ability to protect ourselves and each other.
The Redefining 