Day 133

Wednesday July 23, 2020

What is the current news on the virus outbreak known as COVID-19 which officially became a pandemic on March 12, 2020? Hint: It is usually bad news.  A few weeks ago I realized nothing about this pandemic will drastically change until a vaccine is created and honestly even a vaccine is no guarantee everything will change.  Let me clarify: when I say change what I really mean is go back to normal.  The way life felt before we were advised to shelter at home, before schools were taught remotely, before all major sporting events were cancelled, before all entertainment was reduced to streaming platforms and spotify playlists, before masks became fashionable and mandatory, before personal protective equipment was cool, before hugs, handshakes and high fives became taboo, before any of us experienced fear and anxiety going to a supermarket. 

The United States military is seeing coronavirus outbreaks on stations both local and abroad. Experts from the CDC have found evidence (through antibody tests) that the number of infected people in the U.S., currently at 3.8 million, could be as much as  2-13 times higher. The world has been hit hard and 14.9 million people have contracted the virus.  Over 600,000 people have succumbed to it.  The regions of the world differ in their stages of the virus and its outbreak, but as a whole new infections are very high surpassing 200,000 a day.  One month ago our seven day average was 148,000 as of yesterday it is 230,00.   

The latest on vaccine development: Vaccines are not typically made over night nor even in a matter of months. Experts are working non-stop to produce a vaccine by next year. Over 150 vaccines are in development with some 27 into the human test stages. In phase II of trials the vaccine is given to hundreds of humans of varying ages. "In June, the F.D.A. said that a coronavirus vaccine would have to protect at least 50% of vaccinated people to be considered effective."

There has been some promising news lately, but the road on the way to approval, mass production and mass distribution is long and many failures will come before success. 

There really has not been any good news coming out of America for a long time.  While other countries have been able to slow the spread and even control the spread the U.S. is embroiled in a partisan debate over mask wearing and reopening mandates.  

So where are we as a country? Well as an affluent country we are the most infected with a  growing death rate.  Many of our states are overwhelmed with increasing numbers causing hospitals to be over crowded and important health care personnel over worked.  The economy, even with reopening, is a mess and unemployment rates are some of the highest we have seen in this country.  With a presidential election only a few months away many citizens do not know who to trust or who to vote for. 

And this is only coronavirus news.  In May an unarmed black man was murdered by a white police officer after the officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while other police officers stood by and watched.  This spurred protests and riots across the world (some continue to this day) about not only racism, but police brutality.  This and reports of the virus affecting minorities at a higher rate have unveiled once again inequalities in many U.S. systems (health care, job opportunities, education). The nation known as the United States is anything but united.

We are in need of a great healing. We are need of a massive understanding and education about systemic racism and to adapt an empathetic spirit which can bring equality to all people. 

We need to take action.  We need to be more than "not racist". We need to be anti-racist.

We as a country need changes that will effectively better the lives of our indigenous people of color who have suffered and been suppressed for too long.  We need to come together on issues that will not only bring much peace to our nation, but bring a physical healing and a stop to the transmission of a virus that has crippled us.  I wish us all the best.