The Spanish Flu hit in three waves and went on for roughly three years. There are few reasons to believe that this pandemic will be over any quicker.
Hear me out. The big difference between now and 1918 is the state of our medical system. Our big hope is for a vaccine. Unfortunately, just about all the major players in the vaccine game are having issues. Many safety trials are on hold while side effects are being evaluated.
We don’t even know if a vaccine will work very well. It’s discouraging that people are getting infected for the second time. Not only that, the second infection is often much worse than the first one.
On the bright side, we now have much more effective treatments. While not a cure, they can keep more people alive. However, that requires a fully functional health care system. That’s a major problem in countries where health care is tied to one’s job. With unemployment high, many have lost insurance.
This is not to discourage anyone. I know there are many people who are having psychological issues with the duration of this crisis. Some are pretending it’s over, and that’s one of the things fueling the growing second wave of infection. Cold weather in the north is another problem with people crowding in together. The spread is often happening through small family gatherings right now. That does not bode well for the holidays.
I’m assuming most of my readers are mentally tough enough to deal with reality. We will take it one day at a time. If it is over sooner, great. If not, we endure.
-Sixbears
This reader takes every day as it comes. "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro" - HST.
ReplyDeleteLife goes on...
I've turned pro myself. Interesting times.
DeleteThe Zoo has went to strict mandatory masks at all times for guests. For the employees , it has been so since the start.
ReplyDeleteAs per usual , my only contact with the outside world is the VA hospital over in Whorelando. High risk there but is also mandatory mask too. In fact , must make a trip today...
Have a good trip. Hope it works out for you. Be well. By the way, last day of sailing for the season up here. Will pull the boat out of the lake later this afternoon. Last year we got snow at the end of October.
Deleteso far as i can find, only one case of re-infection in the u.s., a 25 y/o male college student. the virus has mutated to its happy median stage where it sickens but doesn't kill its host so that it may live long enough to pass the virus along. its natural evolution. last century, hygiene, health care, society and science were unprepared for the virus. people die, as they always have. lets move on with living.
ReplyDeleteLet's not give up until this is truly over. Maybe it's just me, but people are more important than the economy. Economies go bust all the time even without a pandemic.
Deleteeverybody dies eventually. once you accept that you can live in peace. the rona only kills those that are dying anyway, with a few exceptions. the odds are the same for getting hit with a meteorite. i don't care about economies, i care about living what life we have left on this earth and we're sure not doing that now. for the record, i'm in a risk group myself, and i work at a university that is open today. frankly i and my doctor think i already had it along with most of the staff. we missed two weeks in the spring, otherwise we work as normal. nobody dead, nobody hospitalized, a few sniffles and that's about it. maybe i get it and die tomorrow, or i could just as well stroke out. either way i'm dead. why fear it? go forth with courage my friend, the odds are vastly in your favor.
DeleteTwo things. I already have messed up lungs from my days as a Firefighter. Lung damage almost killed me once. The other thing is that I don't want to be guy spreading a disease around. As for living life, I've been having a fine time.
DeleteYeah, I really can't equate having to wear a silly mask as putting your life on hold.
DeleteMaybe , if your life is all about eating out at restaurants and socializing at bars ?
At the same time, I think an economy crashing because those type businesses closing affect the the entire economy.
It probably needs to collapse and start over.
One positive thing is that people have had the opportunity to figure out what's really important in their lives. Not that they've taken advantage of the reset, but it's been there.
Delete