September 22, 2020
How did we get here?
200,000 dead, all of their loved ones mourning, almost double that number projected by the end of the year. An unfathomable loss.
The truth is that this situation could have been avoided. Look at this “comic” that illustrates many of the failures of how we got to 200,000 deaths and counting. There is no sugar coating to help any of us feel better. There is no comfort in hearing what could have been done or learning about the lies. But understanding how it happened can help change what happens next.
I get angry when I read about the ongoing shortage of N95 masks for healthcare workers more than 6 months into the pandemic. We knew we would need them now. We also are still lacking in testing, both in availability and reliability. It turns out the Pentagon used taxpayer money to build body armor and jet engine parts, rather than for masks and swabs that it was meant for. And now the CDC has changed its guidance based on politics and not science. What sort of nation have we become?
I don’t really believe that the citizens want this. I believe that most of us want to help and believe in kindness, rather than hate and division. Most of us have done very well with physical distancing and mask wearing and have stayed healthy. Now we are being challenged in ways we did not anticipate. This is a challenge we have been working towards our whole lives. We must continue to work towards fairness and integrity. We must not lose our vision of better times and a kinder nation and world. I do believe that love and kindness are the key to change. We can also change the course of this story if enough of us vote on November 3 (also voting early or by mail, if you can). Our lives and the lives of our loved ones depend on it. To win, besides voting, we need everyone’s help. Find something you can do to help. It can be time or $. The world needs and wants us all to turn out for this challenge.
Wash your hands, cover your nose, keep safe six, work to win back this country!
And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.
https://www.insider.com/comic-how-united-states-lost-control-of-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-9
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/20/us/covid-deaths.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/unfathomable-us-death-toll-from-coronavirus-hits-200000/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/local/news/n-95-shortage-covid/
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/pentagon-used-taxpayer-money-meant-for-masks-and-swabs-to-make-jet-engine-parts-and-body-armor/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/09/21/cdc-covid-aerosols-airborne-guidelines/