Coronavirus: The Movie!
You better make that the streaming series. This disaster has all the ingredients of a big budget thriller. An unstoppable virus, talking heads declaring doom, empty supermarket shelves. Settle in. This is going to be a long and bumpy ride.
Science, War and Weapons
I’ve read the science that made the US Federal Government declare a National Emergency. We are at war—a world war. This time the enemy is unseen. And it surrounds us. Many of us are frantic, panicked and numb. Snap out of it! As Franklin Delano Roosevelt said during his first presidential inauguration in 1933, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ It is as true now as it was then.
We already have some weapons to fight this war. Now we need to use them.
Do all that is humanly possible to avoid catching the coronavirus. That basically means stay home. Until we have enough tests to know who has coronavirus, we should imagine that every one of us is infected and can spread coronavirus to others. Every step we take to prevent transmission will prevent death.
Prepare to stay home by stocking up on food, medicines and cleaning supplies. Stores that sell these basics have remained open all over Europe, the current coronavirus epicenter. They remain open in the US, too. Don’t hoard. If you’ve hoarded, SHARE! Food banks will soon be flooded by those in need. Donate masks and latex gloves to local hospitals to protect our front line health care workers. We’re already starting to run out.
Volunteer in ways that you can. Donate money to reputable organizations that directly help people, including food banks. Give blood. Volunteer for Meals on Wheels to make deliveries to those who can’t leave their homes. Make phone calls to the truly isolated.
Follow the directions of your local public health and government officials. The actions taken by government are not taken lightly. The coronavirus is going to come in waves in both time and place. It will not hit everywhere all at once. We need to make that information work for us. We can do our part by keeping informed and acting on the information we have.
That's the ammunition for the fight today. The range and availability of weapons to fight this war will grow exponentially as time passes.
Is there hope for the future?
Just yesterday, the first person in the US got a dose of an experimental coronavirus vaccine as part of a clinical trial. A vaccine is one step closer to being a reality, though it will still take a year, at the very least, before it becomes publicly available. The World Health Organization has invited all countries to take part in another clinical trial, the Solidarity Trial. The trial tests five existing treatments for other diseases on patients with coronavirus. So far, about 20 countries have enrolled. Many more are expected to participate.
Private industry is also taking steps towards the war effort. Louis Vuitton is making hand sanitizer in its perfume factories. Donald Trump just invoked the Defense Production Act, last used during the Korean War. This act directs private industry to produce essential medical equipment, such as ventilators, and medical supplies. As production gears up, this will also put more Americans to work. Because yes, the economic impact of this pandemic will be profound, both in the US and around the world.
As rapper Cardi B says: This sh*t is getting real.
Just breathe
The war will be fought by us day by day. Celebrate the happy moments, no matter how small. You didn’t burn the toast—yay! Your mom figured out how to work Zoom, so the whole family can be together, even if it’s only virtually. Flowers are blooming. It really is time to stop and smell the roses.
This article was originally published March 18, 2020 here.