April 8, 2020
A friend of ours (click here) who voted for President Trump sent us a note recently saying that she had stopped watching the daily White House briefings of the coronavirus task force. Why? Because they have become less about defeating the virus and more about the many feuds of Donald J. Trump....
"Trump Signals He Backs Protests to End Safety Guidelines" (click here)
Going forward IT IS OBVIOUS the most vulnerable, the poor, those with compromised health and the elderly, need to be protected and provided for to maintain their wellness and longevity.
That said, there have been children and adults that are completely healthy one day with no co-morbidities who have become ill and died due to COVID-19.
"Contact Tracing" is used today when it comes to HIV/AIDS. COVID-19 is more extensive because it can be contracted with droplet. I think there is more interesting options with COVID-19 in bringing awareness to the public. When a patient tests positive an interview revealing where they have been in the past two weeks is engaged. What is learned can be placed in a news article so people know if they were in "Target between 5P - 6P on Thursday" need to report to their physicians or emergency room for testing.
I am not consenting to early return to normal, but, as is true with this administration, who has a choice but to deal with their fallout.
The news media has a strong place in the return of normalcy and that is as a bulletin board of all that is COVID-19. Americans need to get used to the idea of this chronic danger in their lives. They have to modify their behavior to be "on guard" to protect themselves and their housemates, either roommates or spouses, and children.
Masks need to be mandatory in far more cities than just New York City. But, there also has to be a strong knowledge of the fact that masks less than N-95 DO NOT PREVENT THE VIRUS FROM INFECTING THEM, hence, the "Social Distancing" needs to be practiced even in the face of wearing masks. Masks basically provide a more narrow allowance of social distancing. Instead of six feet perhaps two feet would suffice. The idea behind the "social masks" is to prevent a sneeze or a cough from spreading further a foot or two.
As the incidence of infections becomes lower and PERSIST lower the average American should be able to have access to a supply of N95 masks. N95 masks will be important to return to normalcy. I ALSO RECOMMEND Air Purifiers in the home, office and at the desk at work. The Air Purifiers work and filter microns small enough to catch the virus itself. In any of these more sophisticated air purifiers are UV elements that kill bacteria and viruses.
The manufacturing sector of the USA needs to be ready to maintain high numbers of N95 to all sectors of society and air purifiers. This is the new normal everyone must embrace to continue back to work plans.
This is an excellent time to assess the type of emergencies that occur and can occur in the USA. There needs to be a permanent manufacturing sector that addresses the use of material equipment for use as well as storage in anticipation of preparedness. The foreign markets are not enough to supply materials to the USA when emergencies strike. This manufacturing sector can actually prevent the impact of invoking the Defense Production Act. The question of the preparedness and what has occurred with this administration cannot be repeated. It is a matter of national security.
Defining the vulnerable is vital. Wellness has to be a high priority to every American. The healthier the person, normally the better the outcome. However, a genome of understanding of the dead would be helpful. There may be a gene trigger that provides a path to the virus. This idea should have been invoked earlier as the dead are in burial plots now, but, going forward this is not an unreasonable idea.
I REMIND, the viruses are RNA in search of DNA. So, there may be a gene of the DNA that it finds more virulent a partner than others that seem naturally resistant.
The elderly have been provided special times of the day and/or days of the week when shopping is safer. That provision should continue. Other Americans need to be willing to identify themselves as vulnerable and move into behaviors that will provide for their protection from vulnerability. Here again, I mentioned a special designation for Americans that qualify as "Vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2." That is a legislative measure to allow awareness of the government, private sector, and all Americans. This can be an awareness placed within the "Americans with Disability Act" or a separate legislative initiative. The reality of some Americans to the fact their lives are changed until successful vaccines are found has to be accommodated in some way to provide for their well being. THIS IS NOT THEIR FAULT.
Some people may identify as vulnerable when they are less so, but, that is a mental health issue and cannot be dismissed until the person realizes he or she is safer in the world than they thought.
There is an enormous vulnerability staring all Americans in the face and that is the susceptibility of the African American community to SARS-CoV-2. This cannot continue. I don't care what it takes, this is a horrible reality for a minority in the USA that still faces discrimination, hatred, and segregation. I might add at this point that DAILY STRESS compounded by all these negative emotions effects the immune system. This community in the USA has to be elevated in every way that provides for their longevity and well being.
Lastly, prisons and nursing homes have to be better regulated when these emergencies manifest. They MUST have policies within their institutions that address the health and safety of their populations as well as what occurs to protect them when these emergencies manifest.
I would be remiss to not add that this might this event could be a Black Swan because of the gross mismanagement of the Trump White House in maintaining professionals abroad that provide early awareness. Everyone wants to blame China and the WHO, but, they faced this virus grossly understaffed by Americans. George W. Bush did not have this issue with SARS-CoV-1. The economy was untouched in the "W" years. The idea of a "Black Swan" is not an excuse to do nothing.
