As the New Year began, the first cases of coronavirus were reported in China. Three months later, it is in the process of ravaging countries around the globe and creating economic havoc. We are once again reminded of the power of natural forces and of man’s grandiosity in thinking that it doesn’t have to take them seriously.
Man could have prevented the pandemic. Had a doctor in China been listened to by the local authorities, it could have been stopped and isolated probably in a small area of China. Had the Trump administration been prepared following the advice of its own real-time pandemic war game in 2019, had the President and his advisers taken the threat of the virus seriously, we could have isolated the virus spread because it was all coming from outside the U.S. No shelter-at-home, school closings, or other drastic measures would have been necessary.
But the Chinese local authorities and the Trump administration didn’t because we underestimate the power of nature and our own power, and we dislike inconvenient truths. Both were guilty of hubris. And so after 3 months, the world’s health and economy is in shambles, and will get worse before it gets better, despite all the money spent by governments to try and mitigate the damage.
More importantly, the lives of ordinary citizens have been terribly impacted, not only by the deaths, but by the financial devastation caused by the economic engine slowing almost to a halt. Yes, they’ve also been inconvenienced by the lockdowns or “shelter-at-home” orders, but that inconvenience is small relative to the financial peril that many families are facing.
And because we are dealing with out-of-control nature, we really have no idea where it will end. Perhaps after 2 months of stringent controls, local new cases will almost stop as in China and life can begin to return to normal. But with the meager testing and tracking that even today is available in the U.S. compared to China and other countries, it is quite possible that the stringent controls will not be sufficient and new cases will continue to mount as infected but asymptomatic or mild-symptom people move about, albeit in a limited way. A slight loosening of the restrictions without adequate testing and tracking could make matters even worse.
It is possible that the world will never be the same. All we can do at this point is take one day at a time, stay calm, and do everything we can as individuals to not spread the virus.
If everyone takes responsibility, this still could be contained despite the failed attempts of our government. If you feel that you may possibly have the virus, get tested immediately, and if testing is not available, self-isolate and assume you are infected until you are proven to be well. If you have come into contact with someone who is infected, self-isolate for 14 days.
Practice good hygiene and wear a face mask when coming in contact with others in public spaces. This last point applies to everyone, both infected and healthy … you wear a mask to not infect others, and you wear a mask to keep from getting infected. If masks are not available, make your own from instructions available on the internet or use a scarf.
Although we’ve been told by the government and scientists for months that masks aren’t effective for the general population, the CDC and others are now urging that everyone should wear masks, as they do in Asian countries that have been more successful in containing the virus. Just think of all the asymptomatic infected people walking around, unwittingly transferring the virus to others because they aren’t wearing a face mask. Especially with limited testing availability. That asymptomatic person could be you.
This will require a different leadership from the top than we have seen so far. It is only individual people who can spread or stop the virus. That point needs to be made very clearly. And citizens must be called upon to play their part in this war.
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