Covid: Horror in North Dakota

[Larissa]

63. "The virus decides" Dr. Anthony Fauci

In New Jersey masks have been mandatory since March. We were on lock-down from March 21st through June 9th. When things seem to lighten up, folks got sloppy. Gov. Murphy recently reiterated that all must wear masks outdoors/everywhere. Since March, we cannot go into any business without a face mask; it's the law. When I leave the house I wash my hands, take my keys and place my mask on before I open the door. It doesn't come off until I get back home where I wash my hands again. I dare not touch my face with my bare fingers while I am out and about. I keep hand sanitizer, antiseptic wipes and a spare face mask in my car. Every time I go into a place of business, I use the sanitizer afterwards. We will be wearing masks for the foreseeable future. In New Jersey, our numbers are spiking up. At some point, we'll probably wind up on lock-down again.

You'd be surprised at how fear can help you get used to practically anything. Fear of dying alone without gaining consciousness; fear of a loved one contracting Covid-19 and dying; fear of open grave funerals.

"The virus decides."

The news is filled with happy talk about a new, highly viable vaccine. Folks must remember that developing a good vaccine and getting it to the people on the ground are two very different things. (For one, the vaccine must be stored at minus ninety degrees Fahrenheit. Two: It is dispensed in two doses.) People get sloppy from happy talk, when they need to remain surgically diligent for a virus with the "phenomenal capability and efficiency in spreading from person to person." We watch it happen in real time at the White House.

The folks in the middle west did not believe that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was going to be a problem for them; it was just an East coast/West coast thing. Scientists and medical professionals have said all along that it would eventually work its way across the country. There was real concern because rural America lacked the health infrastructure needed to manage the high case counts. Yet even in New York, refrigerator trucks (reefers) had to be brought in to handle the overflow of bodies that the funeral homes were too overwhelmed to handle; the body bags were stacked to the rafters. Crematoriums in New York and New Jersey had to request permission to run burners over the time limit. There were overhead drone videos of workers stacking up wooden caskets in mass graves for the unknown and/or pauper dead.

"We won't be able to move in front of this virus until we respect its power."