Day 65

May 15, 2020 On a recent video chat, spaghetti westerns were a topic of discussion.  Begun in the mid sixties as a sub-genre of the western film and inspired by the creative film making of Sergio Leone; the films were aptly named due to the majority of them being directed and produced by Italians.  Coincidentally, a Spanish journalist coined the term "Spaghetti Western".  One of the most acclaimed was a Leone film, the third in the dollars trilogy, entitled "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" And so here is the good, the bad and the ugly of the coronavirus pandemic as of this date in the year 2020.
The Good: The weather is warming up which will allow people to spend more time outdoors.  The data has shown the infection spread is less likely to occur outdoors. One study in China showed that of the 7,300 cases in the study only one was transmitted outdoors.
Jonathan Van-Tam, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, told the daily Downing Street briefing that "there is a definite truism across all of the science literature that ventilation is a most critical part of reducing transmission from respiratory viruses". So maintain social distancing and enjoy some outdoor time with friends and family.
The Bad: A vaccine seems to be far off in the distance as experts are saying a 12-18 timeline is aggressive. If the infection rates continue as they are (99,000 new cases in the wold yesterday) we may be looking at  along time before any semblance of normalcy is seen.  Although reopening measurements have allowed us to indulge in some luxuries we will not see a return to life as we once knew it until a vaccine is in place and effectively decreasing infections.
The Ugly: There is much ugliness starting with the virus itself and how it affects people. And of course the speed in which it handcuffed countries like Italy, where doctors were forced to make choices on which patients get ventilators. In other overwhelmed areas many were left to die alone and a proper funeral or wake was not a sensible option.  New scams have are being phished via the internet, where many people are spending their time. The unemployment rate and our national debt. The inequality of health care during this time is more evident than ever. The rich may not be getting richer, but there money and economic status allows them privileges that the impoverished can only hope for. Although the virus may not discriminate, it seems humans still do.