A gentle reminder: when we are out in the world, it’s incredibly important to maintain a six foot distance from each other. This virus doesn’t go away and stop being dangerous, because we walked into a building.
Most of us who are able to quarantine have been doing that, and it’s working to flatten the infection curve, to give our doctors and researchers time to find a vaccine and a treatment to reduce the mortality rate of this virus. Most of us aren’t sick, and we aren’t carriers. That doesn’t mean we should act like it when we are in public.
When we’re in public, it’s our responsibility to behave as if we are infected and we don’t want to spread Covid-19 to anyone else.
This means that we keep our distance from each other, even though it feels weird. This means we wear a cloth mask in public, even if it’s uncomfortable or whatever bullshit reason selfish people are using right now to justify their choice to ignore a simple and effective way to keep us safe. It means we respect one-way aisles in grocery stores, and we wait in those aisles, six feet apart, instead of pushing past our fellow humans who are shopping.
If the worst thing we have to deal with in a given day is the inconvenience of actively maintaining six feet from our fellow humans, to protect them and ourselves, there’s just no real excuse to ignore that, other than laziness and selfishness.
Let’s remember that we are in this together, and let’s make an effort to care for ourselves and for each other by making the deliberate choice to stay six feet away from each other, wash our hands frequently, wear our cloth masks in public, and never forget that all of us are going through this at the same time, together.
I know you aren’t lazy or selfish, but I know there are people in our lives who need a gentle reminder.
This is for them.
This whole thing we are living through is a lot, and it’s really understandable to want to get back to normal. The thing is, science and virology don’t care about your timetable, and until science and virology have a vaccine for Covid19, this is our reality. Wishing it would go away, and acting accordingly, is only going to make this worse. Refusing to follow medical guidelines, because you’re pissed off and frustrated is only going to make this worse. Ignoring medical advice because you’re bored and want to go to the beach is only going to make this worse.
Selfish, ignorant people are going to make this worse. Don’t be one of them.
Please, please, please be mindful and self-aware. I get that you’re stressed and frustrated and low-key scared all the time, and not just about getting sick. So am I. You’re worried about our terrible leadership, you’re worried about our cratering economy that our terrible leadership is making worse. So am I. You’re worried about this pandemic that we can’t control at all. Me too. You just want to get in and out of the store or wherever, the faster, the better.
So do I. So do all of us. But let’s remember that we are in this together, and let’s make an effort to care for ourselves and for each other by making the deliberate choice to stay six feet away from each other, wash our hands frequently, wear our cloth masks in public, and never forget that all of us are going through this at the same time, together. We can choose to be patient and make the best of a terrible situation, or we can selfishly make it worse for everyone, including ourselves.
Please choose to be kind. Please choose to be patient. Please do not be selfish.
Thanks for listening.
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Wil, how is it going for you and your family during the pandemic? How are you dealing?
You’re very kind to ask after me and my family. We’re doing well, all things considered. I’m grateful and privileged to have worked really hard for a really long time, and saved a lot, so I can focus right now on taking care of my health, and ensuring my family is safe and has what they need.
Absolutely.
A good reminder for all of us… Thanks, Wil!
We’ve staying in. I refuse to go back to normal until it is safe.
Yes, this!
I have to say that the backlash about measures to keep the most people safe has been shocking and disheartening. I feel like the “rugged individualism” Americans are known for has rotted into a toxic selfishness and entitlement. My own mother, who is 70 with COPD, and therefore a prime target for terrible outcomes with Covid, calls our Democratic governor a dictator for not opening up the hair and nail salons she wants to visit.Typical of pampered Americans to get bored with a pandemic and decide it’s over because they want it to be. I am finding it incredibly hard to have faith that our country will get through this with any kind of bright future, but good, caring, smart people such as yourself help. Hang in there and stay safe <3
I think “toxic individualism” is the new “toxic masculinity”. The difference being that the former will get us all killed, while the latter will only get some of us killed.
I am sad, tired, and disappointed. I’m sending good thoughts your way.
Well said, Wil! I hope you, Anne, and your whole family are doing well.
Touche. All of that. One other thing I’d like to add for those who are out in public wearing a mask is, for fuck’s sake, COVER YOUR NOSE! I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen wandering around the grocery store with their nose hanging out the mask. A friend shared a meme comparing it to walking around with your penis hanging out. Nobody wants to see that. 🤦🏼♀️
I agree wholeheartedly. However, I’ll take what I can get. At least it’s something, and the idiots who don’t cover their nose, well…for them, it’s the mouth or nothing, I’m afraid. And the mouth is a bigger deal. Droplets produced when speaking are a bigger deal than those from respiration. There are more of them and they travel farther. And at least a cough is covered? I dunno. So dumb, but my biggest priority is the mouth, then the nose, so it’s better than nothing. I’m masked all day at work. Have been for months. (Yay, essential?) It’s getting old. Am I going to stop? Nope.
Have you read what Elon Musk is doing? I almost can’t tell whether he’s endangering his employees’ health to make a political point, or he did the math on the back of an envelope and realized he’ll make more money if his plant reopens early… Almost.
Agreed. I too am able to stay home, which, as an artist, musician, writer, and creative person, works great. I just finished a new digital painting yesterday. On to the next! Unemployed, yet all I do is work.
Thanks, Wil. Take care.
I agree with you on this 99.9% but I do have some sympathy with families going to the beach. They have been quarantining in one house or apartment together, they ride together in their own car, and then get out and walk together (presumably keeping 6 feet away from other family groups), then sit close together on the beach. I can see why they’d think that would be safe for them and others. So authorities should publicly address this assumption — as to WHY these people are wrong about this being safe OR maybe how these family units can denote to others that they are co-quarantiners and are promising to continue distancing from other groups while at the beach.
It’s true that people who already live together should be able to be together in an open-air place like a beach, IF they keep their distance from others. It’s still important that families send only one person to the grocery store or other indoor necessities.
Yes to all this, Wil. I’m up here in Washington, about 30 minutes from where the outbreak began in “that” nursing home. My family has been staying at home since the end of February. Going out is scary and we’ve only done a couple essential things in all that time–we’re having groceries delivered (and tipping big!) and just trying to stay healthy since we’re all high risk. Seeing all these ugly reactions from people makes it even scarier to think about going out now though, and it makes me very sad….I don’t want to be a recluse for the rest of my life, but I don’t want to risk getting or giving this either. Even though I’ve lost income and experiences (All the shows and Cons I vend at are cancelled and who knows when they will return), I’m 100% committed for however long it takes—stay home, stay healthy, if you do go out be smart, keep your distance, wear a mask—it really is a small price to pay when you look at the worst case scenario, which is death. Take care, Wil, and also Anne and your kids.
I’m forty-four years old, with asthma, so pretty likely to be in serious trouble if I get covid-19. I was out getting groceries yesterday, and was blown away at how people are just going on with their lives like the last couple of months never happened. Not wearing masks, wearing them improperly, not keeping their distance… it’s a stark reminder of how we only seem to value the lives of others in this country, as long as it doesn’t inconvenience us.
Will I luv you, and yes you are right on every point. Remember! We are all in this together!
Exactly!!! 100%
OMG, I went to the store on Saturday that had the social distancing sign on the front window by the door, and some idiot without a mask proceeded to stand one foot away from me and just browse. after I made it clear that I didn’t want him to be one foot from me, he told me that I was being disrespectful to him. I think he was being disrespectful to everybody in that store by not social distancing and not even wearing a mask which shows he doesn’t care about anybody else. I was so ticked off! This doesn’t work unless everybody does it. These are the same people that deny science and they ruin it for everyone.
So frustrating! What to do when you want to keep protecting yourself and others but others do not participate?
You’re absolutely right, Wil. Keep on being you! We need sanity in this crazy world.
And here’s my response to those idiots who want to open everything up because of the economy: The people can rebuild the economy. The economy cannot rebuild the people.
I love the idea that “The people can rebuild the economy. The economy cannot rebuild the people.” I’ve had to tell a lot of people that you can’t enjoy your freedom if you’re dead.
You can sacrifice a bit of freedom to save lives, or you can sacrifice lives to save “mah freeeedum!” It’s a choice. You can be selfish or you can be a decent person. Too many people are choosing to be selfish. I’m angry, sad, and tired, and grateful for Wil’s voice of sanity.
Well said.
Really beautifully said! Thanks!
It’s been very helpful reading this over the last couple months while not being able to work. I plan to try to follow this advise now that I finally get to go back to work. Even though it will be difficult as a slot machine technician and black jack dealer. I plan to do what I can, and thank you for all you put out there.
Couldn’t agree more. Keep safe and well.
YES!! An eloquent gentle but firm reminder to keep us ALL safe and healthy. Thank you!
Thank you for this, Wil.
Darwin said it best, that the animals who evolve and thrive, are the ones who adapt to the circumstances. We, as humans, are so fortunate that we can choose to adapt or not. As you said, the pampered, annoyed and irritated by this “massive inconvenience,” are ones who have the power to affect others. Thank you for this lovely and insightful piece.
My new response to people who complain is to ask who they are willing to sacrifice. Is Grandpa dying worth a haircut? Is Grandma dying worth your pedicure that no one will see? Is your friend with asthma worth a trip to the beach because it’s hot and you’re bored? I’m not sacrificing anyone. I’m staying home unless I have to go out. When I do go, I hand sanitize before I leave my car, I wear my mask, and I sanitize when I get back into the car. I also sanitize my phone and sanitizer bottle. I’d rather over sanitize than under sanitize.
I think people need to remember that it’s not “just old people” or your grandma — people suddenly get very sick and die who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s, whatever. Kids can die. Kids can often carry it and not have symptoms, and very easily give it to others. Women in their 40s who survived breast cancer look super healthy but are taking immunosuppressants and if you breathe on them, you’re putting them at risk. Young people can get through the virus without too much issue, but may develop blood clots/strokes later on. WE JUST DON’T KNOW all the ramifications yet. Grandma may have a much higher chance of dying from it, but even at 10%, even at 5% death rate, seems like good odds for yourself maybe, but when you consider your whole family and community…… people need to be smarter and I can’t imagine the kind of human who actually thinks that they don’t need to help each other through this.
Last week I had an ENT appointment (sinus infection) 90 minutes away in the next biggest town, made a bunch of purchases for pickup at Target since we were going to be over there. My wife went in to get it, took my phone so they could scan the barcode. She was in and out before I could properly park.
She estimated about 1 in 5 people were masked. She was pissed and frightened.
Yes, we’re still in exponential case growth.
Very well said Wil, it’s a similar story here in the uk. hope you are all well? Stay Safe..
Just out of curiosity, have any of the commenters done the math on the number of confirmed cases and deaths where they live and/or nationally? Have any of the commenters looked into how many deaths yearly are caused by other preventable conditions?
In the United States in 2018 2,839,205 people died. Many of these deaths were from preventable causes.
Where is the outrage against cigarette companies? Do you know their products cause approximately 480,000 deaths per year? 41,000 of those deaths are related to second hand smoke. That’s just ONE of the top 10 causes of death in our country. It equals a death rate of .01% of the population.
So far Covid has killed .0024917%, and this is including the fact that many coroners are calling ALL deaths coronavirus related even if the patient had co-morbidity. Of course the numbers look high, but the actual percentage is quite low comparatively.
Stay home if you are sick and if you choose to wear a mask that is your decision but don’t assume people are ignorant just because they don’t agree. Statistically the odds are in our favor to NOT get sick.
There’s a whole lot of what-about-ism in your comment. I’m not engaging with that.
If someone is not ignorant, and insists on ignoring the advice and best practices outlined by medical professionals and scientists — namely, wearing a face covering in public — that person is a selfish asshole, making things worse and harder for all of us who are doing our best to help flatten this curve and save lives.
If you’re not going to agree with people who have spent their lives preparing for a pandemic like this, if you’re not going to agree with professionals and scientists who use evidence and testing to draw their conclusions, you’re not ignorant. You’re stupid. And you’re dangerous.
I’m sorry, but I don’t understand how stating numbers that come directly from government websites are “what-iffy”. Guessing what the numbers could possibly be is “what-iffy”. Going by already established information is stating facts. People who refuse to acknowledge the facts that are already out there are burying their heads in the sand and believing that the government is going to somehow save them. Not too long ago, after the virus was already here in the US, Nancy Pelosi was encouraging people to come to Chinatown because it was safe there. The CDC said not to wear masks because they wouldn’t help. Then they changed their minds based on some perceived risks. Even the CDC has come back and said that their numbers were quite high and lowered their estimates a couple of times. At the end of the day, the statistics based on the numbers easily available via the CDC website make it quite clear that the risk isn’t nearly as high as people are still being told it is.
If you honestly believe walking the right way down an aisle at the grocery store while wearing a mask will save you, then by all means do what makes you feel safe. I have no problem with people being personally responsible for their own behavior and health choices.
The problem lies when the government dictates our behavior based on some “what-ifs” you are so willing to believe that you are unwilling to even consider they might be wrong. They have been before. I don’t ignore facts and I don’t live in fear. If my likelihood of getting sick is less than 1/2 of 1% I’m not willing to let the government dictate what we do. I will fight for your freedom and the freedom of your readers to make your own decisions as much as I will fight for my own. Our decisions can and I’m sure in many cases will absolutely be different but we should have the freedom to choose that for ourselves.
Seeing you call people “stupid”, “selfish”, “ignorant”, and “assholes” because they disagree with you is a prime example of liberal thinking. I have not been impolite, called anyone names, or suggested anyone wasn’t smart because they don’t agree with me. I just asked if anyone looked at the data out there. I want people to go beyond reading headlines or watching their favorite news channel for information. Do some research. You may come to a different conclusion than me and countless others who are questioning this whole thing. But at least be willing to look for information.
I really do wish you and your readers good health and the best possible outcome to this pandemic situation.
I’m guessing you aren’t taking into consideration the fact that 2 months ago we had 38 deaths and now we’re over 81,000. Over 80,000 deaths in 2 months. No flu or lung cancer stats match that. And 5000 more deaths could be covid19 in NY right now from deaths at home that hadn’t been covid19 tested. Agreed, the positive deaths that might have actually died from something else is an outlier in the stats but I can assure you, as a woman of science, that it isn’t statistically significant.
There is outrage at cigarette and vaping companies. Nobody will dispute that.
Be part of the brave community who choose to wear masks in public. I do agree that if you feel sick stay home.
In California we DO have laws about smoking in public, because of second-hand smoke inhalation causing disease and death. So far in only two full months we have had 80K deaths and if it continues to rise at exponential rates (that is, more than 80K every two months, which it will if no one does anything), then the numbers are going to be way, way higher than other causes of death that you cite.
The other argument I often see is “what about cars? we don’t outlaw cars!” Car crashes are not “caught” from others. We can’t control them that way. We can actually help save people from dying from COVID19 by performing small tasks — why wouldn’t you want to do that?
You DO have to wear a mask, everyone has to wear a mask so that it can work! I don’t know how many times you need to hear/read this BUT THE MASK DOES NOT PROTECT YOU. You can take risks for yourself in other ways if you so choose. THE MASK PROTECTS OTHERS AROUND YOU, from when you talk and breathe and your possibly-infected droplets go out and catch others as they breathe in, within 6-10 feet around you. You could have the virus and never have symptoms, but you could infect others for up to two weeks during this time. My best friend could be shopping next to you, trying to get supplies for her and her kids, but she is on imminosuppressants because she is a breast cancer survivor and has to take that medicine the rest of her life to keep her cancer from returning. My brother has asthma. THEY WILL BE SAFER IF YOU WEAR YOUR MASK, if everyone wears their masks.
I really hope that you read this and tell your friends, and I thank you for wearing a mask so that you can help save others’ lives.
Taken from the World Health Organization website just now:
If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with COVID-19.
Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.
Seems like these experts who have prepared for pandemics for years wouldn’t have this recommendation on their website if it was wrong, would they?
There’s a very good article on the conflicting advice on wearing a mask. Basically, the WHO information is “correct” that wearing a non-N95 mask isn’t going to prevent you from catching the virus. The mask is to protect others from YOU. “…there is emerging research and data that suggests transmission of COVID-19 by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals. Such research has been coming out at least since February; the latest report is from Singapore on April 1. These studies emphasize that people can spread the virus before realizing that they are sick — and that wearing a mask in public could help keep the infected person from spreading infectious droplets.” — https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/10/829890635/why-there-so-many-different-guidelines-for-face-masks-for-the-public
If we operate on the assumption that everyone at any time has Covid-19 and behave accordingly, i.e., have everyone wear a mask, we can limit the exposure to the virus. It’s the viral load that determines the risk we face, not only in getting infected, but the severity of the infection.
Regarding the death rate for the virus compared to normal death rates, the following website shows how much of an increase different countries have experienced as a result of Covid-19:
https://www.ft.com/content/a26fbf7e-48f8-11ea-aeb3-955839e06441
“The FT has gathered and analysed data on excess mortality — the numbers of deaths over and above the historical average — across the globe, and has found that death tolls in some countries are more than 50 per cent higher than usual.”
Please look at KJ’s comment above, Julie.
Wearing a mask is for everyone else’s sake, not so much for yours. And everyone else’s mask-wearing helps you.
And yes, you still need to wash your hands.
Again, according to the World Health Organization, healthy people do not need to wear masks. Humans need to be exposed to germs in order to build immunity to them. Some bodies are better at it than others. This is the case with ANY virus. As is the fact that some people will get it and never even know (which incidentally also lowers the overall percentage of deaths caused by the virus, but I digress) and some people get incredibly sick from it. This is why sometimes one person in your home might get sick and no one else does, but other times everyone gets sick. This is why a the beginning of the school year kids and teachers get sick…they haven’t been exposed to each other’s germs all summer. This is why every flu season some people (even those who are otherwise in good health) die while others don’t. Some of those who die from the flu have even had the flu shot but they wind up with a different strain and the vaccination doesn’t protect them. Meanwhile many people who don’t get the vaccine also don’t get the flu. Some of it is genetics and some of it is environmental.
This does not mean I support deliberately exposing yourself to the virus or exposing others if you know you are sick. I do support protecting the more vulnerable of our society. When I am out in public I observe social distancing, I do contactless transactions when possible, and when I do have to shop in person I don’t browse around and touch everything, I won’t even pick through produce at the store, I just pick whatever is on top that I can get without touching other items. I get what I need and leave. I don’t talk to others if I don’t have to, and if for some reason I get a tickle in my throat and need to cough I will cover my nose and mouth by coughing into my shirt, which offers just as much protection as most of the masks I have seen people wear. I will not wear a mask. Many people who wear masks don’t even wear them properly and I can tell you that those wearing a mask seem far more likely to disregard other recommendations regarding preventing the spread of Covid. When I am out in public I won’t get in your face, or in your space, I keep my hands washed, leave my kids home, and I try to be respectful of people’s concerns. Not because I am afraid, but because I know others are. I won’t call people names for being more worried about this than I am. I don’t think that is productive. I want people to be challenged to do some research and get the facts. Not “facts” from the news, which almost always has an angle to one side or the other. I am talking about the numbers. Look at them. Go to the CDC website, your state’s DHS website. Find out how many people are sick vs. the population of your state, county, city, town. Figure out your risk based on percentages and decide based on that information. Don’t base your decisions on what politicians or the media tell you, because whether you believe they are right or wrong they all have agendas to further their causes and their name recognition (because the unknown players never win the game). Think for yourselves.
The problem is that the Covid-19 virus is much more contagious than the normal flu. The reason for masks, social distancing and restrictions to people gathering is to slow the spread so that hospitals aren’t overwhelmed. This is what was happening in Italy and New York. Too many people got sick all at once. Even if only 10-20% needed hospitalization, that number quickly outpaced the number of hospital beds and available ventilators. By slowing the rate at which people become infected, you keep the number of hospitalizations down below the level of available beds and ventilators. It also means that you have to maintain those restrictions for longer to prevent spikes in the number of sick people over a longer period of time. This reduces the number of people who will die from disease because of a lack of beds, ventilators, medicine, hospital workers, and other supplies.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/17/upshot/hospital-bed-shortages-coronavirus.html
Another way of explaining the problem of why we need to slow down the spread of the virus is to show, in numbers, where the pinch point is in regards to the impact on our healthcare system.
Take a community of 200,000 people. The average number of hospital beds averages 2.6/1,000 people. That comes out to 520 beds for our town. If just 2% of the population came down with Covid-19 at one time and 20% of them needed hospitalization (which is the average that had been played out around the world), then you’re looking at a need of 800 beds in a community that only has 520. What do you tell those other 280 people who need the resources of the hospital to survive? “Sorry dude. You’re probably going to die because we can’t help you.” This is why Italy and other hard hit countries started making triage plans on who would get ventilators and treatment, prioritizing those most likely to survive. Ask the doctors and nurses in the hardest hit areas how serious this virus is. They watch helplessly as patient after patient dies with them being helpless to stop it.
Here’s what Johns Hopkins had to say about developing herd immunity:
‘Why is getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 to “get it over with” not a good idea?
‘With some other diseases, such as chickenpox before the varicella vaccine was developed, people sometimes exposed themselves intentionally as a way of achieving immunity. For less severe diseases, this approach might be reasonable. But the situation for SARS-CoV-2 is very different: COVID-19 carries a much higher risk of severe disease and even death.
‘The death rate for COVID-19 is unknown, but current data suggest it is 10 times higher than for the flu. It’s higher still among vulnerable groups like the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Even if the same number of people ultimately get infected with SARS-CoV-2, it’s best to space those infections over time to avoid overwhelming our doctors and hospitals. Quicker is not always better, as we have seen in previous epidemics with high mortality rates, such as the 1918 Flu pandemic.’
https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/articles/achieving-herd-immunity-with-covid19.html
I totally understand your reasoning…but the reality doesn’t match up the the predictions we have been given. Not even close. Which is AWESOME because it means this is something that isn’t as deadly as initially thought. I am not discounting the fact that it is highly contagious or in some case deadly. So please don’t lump me into that category.
I am a contractor. I work at a hospital. I built several isolation rooms. I measured rooms to allow the engineers to calculate what needed to be done to create negative air pressure. I know in the hotbed area my hospital is in there was a field hospital built to accept up to 1000 recovering Covid patients. My isolation rooms sat empty for weeks and are now torn town. The field hospital had 32 total patients over a 1 month or so period and is now closed. I know the Covid testing lab workers mostly didn’t have anything to actually do because no one was coming in and getting tested. I realize that in some places there is a different situation. This is the situation where I am. Average hospital bed capacity in my state sits at 63-64% including non-covid patients. Some hospitals are at 75% but others are as low as 10%. Some of those numbers are influenced by how many nurses are working, since bed capacity is dictated by that. My brother in law is at another hospital that got down to 20% capacity a couple of weeks ago. Again, this is incredibly exciting because it means the predictions were wrong. Very very wrong. Whenever people try to compare what is happening in other countries with the United States we need to remember the US has a very different set of circumstances than those on the other side of the world. How we live, what we eat, the chemicals we ingest via pollution, food, household cleaners, etc. In places with a dense population where people live close together and use public transportation of course the possibility of transmission will be higher than for someone out on a ranch in Montana. Cities located in warmer climates where people are more physically fit and tend to eat fresher food will have different percentages of illness/death than a poor family living in an inner city apartment building and don’t have access to those same things. It’s already widely known and accepted that a majority of fatalities from Covid are in elderly people because their immune systems are weaker. It is also higher in younger people who have co-morbidity factors such as being obese or having health issues. Of course it can happen to young seemingly healthy people. That is the case with just about any virus. Some people survive and thrive and others won’t make it. People who understand that aren’t being cold hearted or wishing death on anyone. They are simply acknowledging that death can come when we least expect it.
I am absolutely for people taking precautions to protect their family as they see fit. My problem is when the government tries to step in and give our nation a bunch of inflated numbers as a reason to tell us what we can and can’t do, when and where we can go, and threatens our livelihoods. What makes it even worse is seeing leaders or media personalities who tell people one thing but do the opposite. This tells me that they don’t even take this seriously. If someone tells people to stay home because unnecessary travel can spread the virus…then flies to their vacation home out of state, that is a problem. Or supports closing businesses because they are “non-essential” but then receives those services themselves because they are in the public eye and have an “image”. I mean the hypocrisy is mind blowing.
Then there’s the fear-mongering. The government is using fear to control the narrative here. I understand that people are scared. That is why I encourage others to dig deeper and do research into what we are being told by the media. For those who have and continue to do so, even if we have differing conclusions I am so happy that you are questioning. Many great new discoveries have been made when people questioned things. Sometimes we question things and can affirm what we already believe to be the truth. Sometimes we realize we were wrong. Sometimes we land somewhere in the middle. I’m glad there are so many resources available to everyone looking to learn. We all need to seek information from multiple sources though…not just the ones that share our particular point of views.
At the end of the day, the best thing we can do is be kind to others, even when we don’t agree with them. It’s hard when we are passionate about something. Remember though, you don’t know everyone’s story and maybe your opinion would be different if you did. I do appreciate those who disagreed with me and shared their thoughts in a respectful way. Telling someone “I disagree with you and here’s why” is much more productive than “you’re an asshole if you don’t agree with me”. I really genuinely wish anyone who reads this good health and peace in this crazy time.
The predictions weren’t wrong. They were based on worst case scenarios assuming that we didn’t socially distance ourselves and shut down non essential businesses. The fact that extra hospital beds and ventilators ended up not being needed is proof that the shut down and stay at home orders are working as intended.
The only way we can safely get back the old normal is to test, contact trace, and isolate people when they are contagious. We don’t have either the amount of testing nor the resources to do proper contact tracing. Yet. So, until we do, we have to operate on the assumption that everyone is contagious. My governor has been working diligently trying to get more test kits available and to increase the number of people being tested *every day *. He’s also working on getting a contact tracing program up to properly track down anyone who’s been in contact with a person who’s tested positive for the virus.
We also don’t have a reliable treatment program for those who are infected. There are a few treatments that appear to be making a difference but we don’t have enough data to say, for sure, what’s the best way to treat people. Yet.
My state closely tracks the number of tests conducted on a daily basis, the number of people testing positive, the number of people hospitalized, the number of ventilators in use, the amount of PPE available for front line workers, and the amount of medications available to treat patients. And they openly report these numbers on a daily basis. There’s no fear mongering. There’s just the science.
My governor has been candid about what he knows, what he doesn’t know, and what experts believe will happen. The models are only as good as the data input. With the radical changes we have all made in our daily routines, those models have to constantly be updated to reflect those changes. We are flattening the curve, just as the experts have said was necessary to keep us below the threshold that hospitals are capable of handling. We are working on a series of phased reopenings in response to the improved statistics of hospitalizations and deaths and the amount of risk posed by activities and population density. More rural areas will open sooner than more densely populated urban ones. All with a caveat that if there is a spike in new cases, that communities would have to close down again.
Other countries that have started reopening are also starting to see new spikes in the spread of the virus. We are starting to see real life data to help guide us in how much and how quickly we can reopen. It is unlikely we will be able to fully recover until we have a reliable vaccine that can grant us the necessary “herd immunity”.
Bottom line, we still don’t have enough control over the virus to return to our pre-virus normal. Until we have enough tests, enough contact tracing, a reliable treatment program, and a vaccine, we will need to alter our behavior to prevent a surge in cases that overwhems our healthcare system.
Yes!
Good, honest thoughts, Wil. Thank-you. My MD hubby had surgery last week in Fargo, ND and everyone was appropriately nervy around us. He is only 1 of 5 doctors in ND’s capital city seeing covid19 patients (and testing them.) I’m okay with everyone considering we are diseased. A friend told me today that I scared all of our friends because I use #istayathomeforyou and I told her GREAT. I’m doing my job as a medical professional if they are concerned about getting this thing. Hubby was seronegative during pre-op bloods and we both feel well. But that’s just the point,isn’t it? That we both feel well. Which is why we mask-up before we even step out of our vehicles. The second wave isn’t going to be pretty and I am so thankful I live between 2 rural states on acreages and that I am lucky enough I can self-isolate. Wearing masks should be considered an act of bravery versus the defiance of those who refuse. Won’t shop at Costco because they are infringing upon your rights by demanding you wear a mask? Bingo, then they have accomplished what they wanted. Keep telling it like it is!
Frankly, I find myself sad at times because of the insanity that has overtaken otherwise intelligent people. Some think it’s a hoax. Some think it’s a plot by Bill Gates (really, Bill Gates, WTF) to force people to get vaccinations that contain nanotech that will allow people to be tracked. Or that 5G caused Covid-19 (it doesn’t).. People are so afraid that they will grab hold of any lunacy just to feel like they are doing something. And they feel so entitled (quoting the constitution of course) to do whatever they want. A friend who teaches wilderness skills says that people have gotten so soft, they don’t know how to do anything for themselves anymore. They are truly lost now
A friend recently told a group of people to talk to their relatives who lived through the depression or WWII to see what real suffering was like. My mother ran the rationing board in a small county in Montana during WWII. The government decided how much food you were allotted, whether you could get new tires for your car and much more. People accepted it because there was a war on. We don’t have that solid kind of ‘we are in this thing together’ mentality any more.
Same, NIck, same — why wouldn’t people want to help each other, help us all get through this? I feel more sad and scared about this than I do about the disease itself.
Wil, a lot of us are trying to put these same thoughts out there, but you have made one of the clearest and also most compassionate statements I’ve seen on this subject. Thank you.