This COVID-19 has brought life, as we know it, to a near standstill, closing businesses, cancelling large gatherings and keeping people at home, “sheltered” as they call it. And I am sure that every individual is wondering the same thing I am: When will this thing be over? When will things get back to normal?
I’m afraid the answer brings no satisfaction. It is tied to a percentage of population – a very large percentage – being resistant to the virus. This would thwart the spread from person to person that it has thrived upon. So, to answer the “when” question: we have no way of knowing.
There are two ways that we can get to that desired percentage, which would probably be 60 to 70% desired. One, is that we can develop a vaccine against it. That, as we have read, is currently being done but for that could take a year or more to get it as a viable option. The other way is for the virus to work its way through the population, which would be tragic for many people who contract it. But even that could be a year or more.
I suspect that we, as a nation, won’t wait a year or more. That said, I also believe that while we may lift a lot of the restrictions that have been imposed, we will only return to a varying degree of what we once called “normal” living. I am sure that at some point, possibly early Summer, we will get our dining out back. I’m sure the work force will return to the office. We may even get some bars back open. But the crowded events are not coming back anytime soon. We still won’t get the concerts back right away; the big festivals that some towns thrive on, like the Peach Festival in Gilbert (SC); I’m sure the beaches will open but in what manner will they be monitored? I’m not so sure that if they DO open there won’t be some restrictions on how close people can be to one another. And that will be a nightmare to monitor.
So, for now, we are left with this self-isolation. There was an episode of the original Batman series where everyone was placed in a state of suspended animation. Their life and activity was just “frozen”. That is where we are in a sort of weird, similar way.
I believe that there is no reason that we cannot begin to move back to a degree of normalcy in this country. Some “experts” say that moving back to normalcy to soon could be “disastrous”. What would be too soon? Again, another question that no one can answer.
If most people who are now infected are demonstrating milder signs/symptoms of the disease – more so than when it was first discovered – then we can assume, rightly so, that some sort of immunity is being generated. Exposure to the virus will eventually produce antibodies in people.
While they say that they don’t know how this virus will respond to the Summer, it has been suggested that it does not like heat. If that true, its ass is about to die in South Carolina. Anyone who lives in or visits the Palmetto State from May to September in any given year knows that this state, while beautiful, is like living just outside the gates of hell in terms of temperatures.
My own personal opinion is that this has been completely blown out of proportion by the media. Before you burn me at the stake for saying that, I am NOT saying that the virus is not a serious health risk, particularly to those with co-morbidities. It is deadly to some people. But to those same people, the flu can be deadly, as well. I fear that we have set a precedent by shutting down, sheltering and social distancing. Will the media-generated fear that’s been created here be the cause of future shutdowns, sheltering and social distancing when another strain of a virus or flue comes upon our population? THAT is concerning. We are going to struggle financially as a population with THIS incident. Imagine THIS scenario every year or every other year.
Finally, I have faith that we will find a treatment for this virus. I know that everyone has seen the videos and suggestions that HCQ (an anti-malaria drug also used in Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis), along with azithromycin (Z-pack) demonstrate good results with those infected. Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, a small-village doctor in New York has been using it in his community with good results. It was also reported that the French used the same treatment with success. There are epidemiologists out there who are screaming that this is false hope and information and we need to be doing clinical trials. I have been in medicine for 30 years. I have two advanced science degrees, so I understand that clinical trials are important. But I also understand that clinical trials take time and that is a luxury we do not have now.
Anyway, my ADD is taking over and I am beginning to idea hop so I will end this now. I just wanted to vent a little, I suppose. I miss going to a restaurant and sitting down and eating. I miss my waitresses and hearing about how their school is going and how their kids are doing. I miss the library, though I have found use of the “hoopla” app in that regard. I miss hearing the baseball hit the aluminum bat at the little league field near my house and hearing the cheer of the parents as their little ones make their way around the bases. If one thing comes from this it will be that we realize there are a lot of little things that we take for granted, such as those things I just mentioned.
I pray you all stay safe and healthy through this ordeal. I posted the other day that no answers, produces faith. And we all know that necessity births genius. Faith and Genius. We could use a little of both of those right now.
The realization of one’s mortality is a transforming event.
