Attitude of gratitude

Spain's coronavirus death toll rose to 10,003 from 9,053 - the highest daily toll since the outbreak began. Russia's coronavirus case tally jumped to 3,548 a record daily increase of 771.  Aljazeera.com daily snapshot

2 Apr 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
12:37 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	876,766	955,130	43,533	48,571	184,965	202,943
US	188,647	215,357	4,059	5,113	7,251	8,878
NY	75,983	83,901	1,714	2,219	67	6,409
CT	3,128	3,557	69	85	0	0
NC	1,536	1,717	8	15	0	5

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter, son Reid lives in CT, and I live in NC. 
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/               https://www.coronainusa.com/  

Important coronavirus information:

For folks experiencing financial hardships, there is a guide to help you survive during the pandemic.  Here in NC, the Second Harvest Food Bank is available if you need it, and asks for support from those of us who are able.

If you need groceries, please wait until after April 5 to shop so WIC recipients will have a few days to stock up first. Also, please keep these tips in mind:

1)      Be kind toward other people, especially grocery store workers. No hoarding, please!

2)      Stay at least 6 feet away from employees and other shoppers.

3)      Send only 1 family member to the store; everyone else stay home.

4)      If possible, use a credit card or debit card instead of cash.

5)      Limit contact, avoid touching surfaces, and bring disinfectant wipes if you have them.

6)      If you wear gloves, dispose of them after exiting the store.

7)      When you get home, follow these steps to clean your groceries.

A medical doctor offers practical tips to help people stay healthy.

The CDC offers guidance for cleaning and disinfecting your home.

A common question is “What about the common flu?” This is a valid question but a false equivalency because flu vaccines and medicines are widely available. For context, here’s what we know about some public health threats:

Healthline	Seasonal Flu	1918 Influenza	2002-2004 SARS	2009 H1NI	2014-2016 Ebola
Global cases	1 billion	500 million	8,098	millions	28,652
Global deaths	300,000 – 650,000	50 million	774	284,000	11,325
US deaths	12,000 – 61,000	675,000	0	12,469	2
Death rate	0.1 %	2 %	15 %	.02 %	50 %
Vaccine	Yes	Not Initially	Not Initially	Not Initially	No

Coronavirus is different from other endemics and pandemics in significant ways. COVID-19 is so new that humans haven’t developed herd immunity yet. In Wuhan, some recovered patients have tested positive again after testing negative, which is surprising and scary. Currently there is no treatment for or vaccine to prevent coronavirus though scientists report plasma antibodies look promising as a potential future therapy. Two drugs which were promoted by President Trump now have shortages.

Most who test positive experience mild symptoms. Data suggest approximately 5% develop serious complications, while between 1% and 3% die. Some survivors’ lungs have been damaged so severely that they need supplemental oxygen to breathe more easily. The most vulnerable are older people with underlying health conditions, though some young and healthy people also have died. Silent spreaders, or asymptomatic carriers, are infected without realizing it, inadvertently exposing and infecting others. No one knows if/when they might be among the unfortunate few who get sick or die. Testing issues have exacerbated risks. 

Skeptics and conspiracy theorists discount the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic. Some have claimed death statistics are false while others have talked about weaponizing the virus. Several corona myths have been busted, and new knowledge emerges daily. 

Imagine you had 100 skittles (or any candy of your choice) and 1 of the candies could kill you. All the candies look exactly the same. Would you eat them and take your chances, or throw them all in the trash bin? If you’re comfortable risking your own life, what about the lives of the people you love? Do you enjoy playing Russian roulette, or are you responsible and sane?

White house daily briefings attempt to share pertinent information in the interest of public health and safety, but briefings don’t cover details like these key facts for example:

1)      Federal guidelines are helpful, but

2)      State level actions and compliance are more important.

3)      Governors that have not yet issued statewide physical distancing rules are expected to do so within a week.

4)      Most states are expected to keep physical distancing rules in place through June 1.

5)      If/when the current wave of infections is suppressed, the US will remain vulnerable.

I was going to wait to post information about those we’ve lost to coronavirus but am sharing now because I want to honor the fallen since their families are likely not able to have funerals for them. This list is going to get longer, much longer. Every single life lost matters so I will keep this URL in the daily update for reference. I don’t know if anyone will attempt to compile a complete list of every person, including all the common folk that are not famous in any way, but I did find a CNN article about the first 100 published March 18.

Vast amounts of data are being collected and analyzed by scientists to learn more about the virus as quickly as possible.  As new information becomes available, fact checked, and verified then I’ll share it.

In the news…

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is in self-isolation after an aide tested positive for coronavirus.

Security increased for Dr. Fauci following death threats.

FL Gov DeSantis issued a statewide stay at home order.

The Trump administration decided not to reopen enrollment in the Affordable Care Act's federal exchanges amid the rising coronavirus pandemic.

National stockpile of protective gear is running low.

Record 6.6 million more Americans filed for unemployment, bringing the total to nearly 10 million.

#ClusterTrump, #Distraction, and #WagtheDog trended after President Trump threatened Iran, announced a counter-narcotics operation, and again mentioned his ratings.

Some television networks are reconsidering how and when to broadcast white house press conferences. More than 200,000 people have signed a petition asking news organizations to delay broadcasting briefings, to allow time for editing and fact checking.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that discussions have begun on a 9/11 Commission style investigation into Trump’s coronavirus response.

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope: 

·         Math teacher gives lesson from porch makes me think of my brother, also a teacher.

·         Second grade teacher writes notes of encouragement to her students

·         Police deliver cherry pies to 102 year old woman on her birthday.

·         NASA has free online STEM activities for housebound kids and parents.

·         With spring runs and races canceled, a CT runner is helping her community adapt.

·         WWII veteran Facetimes with puppy pal 

·         Historic North Theater in Danville, VA keeps laughs alive online

In my personal life…

While working in the yard I think I came into contact with something I’m allergic to because I have an itchy rash on my neck that is starting to spread. Greg said he would buy some calamine lotion. Hopefully that will help.

Reid and I talked on the phone for about 90 minutes Wednesday. We try to limit our weekly check-ins to 1 hour but usually go over. Our phone chats are low tech, no video. Sometimes we text between calls. Today I rambled more than usual; didn’t want to hang up. It was great to hear his voice. I cherished every second.

When the pandemic finally became real to me I started following CT Gov Ned Lamont and the Hartford Courant newspaper on twitter in order to stay informed without pestering Reid too much. News this morning explained residence halls at the University of New Haven (Lauren is an alumna) and in Hartford are being used to house first responders. No mention of UConn but guessing the Storrs campus is preparing to do the same.

I’m immensely grateful to Lauren’s parents, Carol and Steve, for inviting Reid to live in their home for a while. Carol and I are Facebook friends and I consider us real life friends too even though we’ve met only once. I intend to visit again as soon as it is safe to travel so we can celebrate Reid’s graduation and life in general.

My blog process…

At any given time I have a dozen or more tabs open in my internet browser to research information and read news articles. I fact check sources, bookmarking the most factual and least biased. I use a word doc to draft blog entries, usually with at least 10 pages of notes and screen grabs for potential future writing sessions. I typically work on the blog sporadically throughout the day, get a final draft ready before I go to sleep at night, then add stats and the Aljazeera timeline the following morning. As soon as an entry is posted I start working on the next one. Time spent blogging or at least thinking about it is sometimes intensely focused though usually multi-tasked with routine activities like walking the dog, hanging out with Greg, watching tv, napping, and meal breaks. I spend inordinate amounts of time online, definitely more than recommended. Some people think my information immersion is weird though Greg is very supportive. I’ve never been tested for autism spectrum disorder but acknowledge that I could be on the spectrum, or spectrum adjacent maybe if that’s a thing.

My life has been satisfyingly simple since I retired last year. Even before the pandemic I typically left the house only once or twice a week for grocery shopping and errands, or dinner out with Greg. Emotionally I feel healthier today than I did a few months ago. My mom died in 2015, then the 2016 election. Long story short, I had been depressed for years until the 2020 election cycle and the pandemic snapped me out of my funk.

Feeling better emotionally has led me to reconnect with friends, and to appreciate my loved ones more. Blogging about the pandemic has helped me process my thoughts and feelings about everything. For that and more I am deeply grateful.