Knowing when you have been exposed to someone with Coronavirus (COVID-19) is not as far away as you may think, according to an article in my news feed. Using Bluetooth and location settings – you can be alerted. The idea could apply to just about anything, really. I suddenly imagined a world where criminals (sex offenders) etc. are monitored even more closely. And that brings an entire debate for me. I have to digest that a bit more before I comment. It is a fascinating technology, though. It does not change the future though. It is still largely reactive…
Considering influenza, aka the “flu,” and how it passes around every season and how we chase it… It does not disappear. We gamble with an educated guess for the strain of the year with vaccines and try to get ahead but people still get it. I imagine that COVID-19 will be the same way. It is not a matter of if – but when we get it, in my opinion. It is hard to hear. Maybe even scary. We are putting all of this work together – methods – Protocols – lockdowns… but is it only delaying the inevitable? And there is a significant chance, I believe, that each of us will get the corona at one point or another. I am unsettled thinking about it. The disease which is responsible for a large part of the world shutting down may be here to stay. I do not think we will escape it. But by that time, hopefully, we will be in a much better place.
Our goal needs to be to avoid the virus as long as possible. I do not think – going back to normal and having a Corona party (a reference to a chickenpox party for the earlier generations) is the way to go. Each day we learn something new about it. How it transmits or which fomites it can survive on… We are experimenting with so many new things. Cures, vaccines, Treatment Protocols, and social norms. We have so much more to learn. This “flattening the curve” effort is crucial to our futures. The longer we can delay it, or slow it down, we recover more of our resources. Hospitals free up – and doctors can take deeper looks at treatment protocols. Everyone will not be in a triage state.
I am still tired. And every day is a circus of what Trump said. What Fauci said… Who tweeted about who. Or now, Trump is withholding funding from the WHO due to some questions about the approach to the disease. This is not a time to be drawing lines – making political points or building a platform. I do not care which president said it. Or which monarch made the point… We need to be developing a longer-term plan. Be preparing for surges. Investing in education and transparency to prepare the public. We are still not in a good place. We have priorities that we need to attend to. We can come back to dot the i’s and cross the t’s when we stabilize or at least have a solid plan (not debating behind closed doors a super-secret committee’s plan). We can review processes and who did what right – or wrong later. Though we should be agile and learn as we go. Too much time looking back and we trip going forward. It is time to just march. Pick up your neighbor and carry them if you need to. We need each other. When we go back to “normal” we will be anything but… We then need to prepare for what’s next… a surge… panic… whatever. The strategy shouldn’t be political.
Ok, I have to stop. Soapbox is getting higher up there and I need to digest all of this. I wish you all well. Stay safe – educated – and open-minded. Above all else – show compassion and be prepared.
ww. joe
