By: Jack Buchanan
I have some good news and some bad news. Where do you want to start? Since only “The Godfather” insists upon hearing bad news first in case he wants to cut off a horse’s head or something, let’s start with the good news.
Last Memorial Day weekend, I thought the virus had vanished from the face of the earth. Driving back from Sedona to Phoenix, Arizona Sunday night on I-17, the traffic was so thick we hardly averaged 30 mph for the 90-mile drive. In Sedona, and the drive through Oak Creek Canyon, we saw thousands walking in groups and playing on the shores of the river with hardly a mask in sight. It was wonderful to see so many people having fun in such a beautiful place after two months of lockdown confinement in their homes. Now that is good news – or is it?
Yes, the trend of new Covid-19 cases and the death rate from the virus in the U.S. and elsewhere is going down and that is good news. The hospitals and medical community are not being overrun with too many Covid-19 cases and that is good news too. It is also good news that a large percentage of the population have learned that social distancing, wearing surgical masks when in public, and good hygiene habits will do a lot to protect them and continue this downward trend of cases.
Unfortunately, the bad news is a little scary, and frankly, quite unnecessary. It appears that the issue has now become seriously politicized. We are all aware of this, so I will not go down that road in this article. The rush to get back to normal and get the country moving again is understandable and maybe a good thing if done right, but not if it is done to flaunt one’s rights as a political statement in complete disregard for the rights of others not to be unnecessarily exposed to this deadly virus.
The facts about this virus have not changed much since we began this series of articles seven week ago. There are still no adequate screening tests in wide use to separate the healthy from the sick. The virus is still stealthy in that it can be spread by the innocent without any symptoms or knowledge that they are a carrier of the disease. There still is inadequate contact tracing that can be a very valuable process in identifying those who have been exposed to the virus and then specifically selected for testing and possible quarantine. There is still no vaccine yet to prevent the virus, and though there are some encouraging studies underway, it will be many months or a year before it could be available for public use.
Finally, there still is no cure for this virus. Get it and good luck. It is solely up to your immune system to bring you through it, or not. The hospitals and medical system can provide some assistance such as ventilators in very serious cases, but not much. There is also a brand-new medication under development called “Remdesivir,” that shows promising signs of reducing symptoms, but is still not widely available, just possibly on a limited experimental basis.
These are the facts whether we like them or not. There is no room here for voodoo medicine. The best medicine that you can take right now is to avoid other people. Stay as far away from them as possible and don’t touch anything they have touched recently. If you isolate yourself in a cabin in the Northwoods for the next year or so, you are probably going to be just fine – unless a grizzly gets you or you die of loneliness.
A nice compromise is to thoughtfully observe social distancing of about six feet from others that are not part of your immediate family. In respect and concern for the health of others, if not for your own health, always wear a surgical mask when in public. And, of course, frequent hand washing, and good hygiene habits, can’t hurt. Stay healthy and continue to enjoy life, despite the virus, for years to come. Remember:
“Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do”, Dr. Robert H. Schuller