Two weeks ago I was aware of the Corona Virus but I was much more focused on the fact that I was sick [sinus/ear infection] and my mother was hospitalized with the flu and a UTI. Mom nearly died when her UTI turned septic and I could think of little else for a couple of dark days. Mom is in a rehab facility now and recovering, although really not happy that she can't have visitors.
I put together a "care package" for Mom this morning and drove it over to her, although all I could do was give it to the man at the door, who said it would be delivered to her. As of last Thursday the elderly residents are quarantined and no visitors are allowed. That's a smart move, since the elderly are so at risk.
I have sort of awakened from the fog of the past couple of weeks, though, and I wanted to make a few observations about the situation we find ourselves in now.
Although I doubt there are many people alive who remember it, the 1918 Flu Pandemic was far worse than this one. According to the CDC:
"The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history... It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States."
In 1918 more soldiers died from the flu than from fighting in World War I.
I first became aware that there had been a pandemic in 1918 when I read a biography of Margaret Mitchell [author of Gone With the Wind] and it said her mother died in the 1918 flu pandemic. The "Spanish flu" as it was known then was much more of a plague. There was a shortage of doctors and nurses, many of whom were in Europe tending to soldiers.
They didn't have the medicines we have now, and they didn't have the knowledge of hygiene and germs we have now. There were no flu vaccines. There was a lot of ignorance.
We are much more fortunate today.
I drove through suburban Northeast Atlanta this morning, taking the "care package" to Mom; some more clothes, get well cards from friends, and her all important Love That Red lipstick. She used a nurse's phone yesterday to call me and tell me in no uncertain terms she HAD to have her lipstick.
Like any good Southern Belle, Elva has her purse and her lipstick, so she is ready for anything now.
As I drove through the mostly deserted streets today I thought back to September 11, 2001, and a similar drive from work to home, through eerily quiet and seemingly deserted residential areas of Atlanta, just before lunch. On that day, after watching in horror as planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, our company sent everyone home. The streets were too quiet. There were no planes overhead.
This morning there were many people out walking dogs, and/or jogging. The churches I passed were deserted, though. The normal Decatur traffic was 90% lighter than a typical weekend day. It was very close to lunchtime, and Atlantans typically like to eat out for Sunday lunch.
I think a lot of folks are staying home and voluntarily self-quarantining. That's good. We may yet avoid the nightmare Italy is facing now - an entire country on lockdown, hundreds dying every day..
America is hunkering down voluntarily. We have new cases popping up every day, but we are battling to keep the mortality rate low. I think the president was right to restrict travel to Europe. The schools are right in closing. People can unknowingly spread the virus to the community before they know they are even sick.
I don't think wearing masks in public is really the thing to do, because I have heard from a number of sources that the virus can get through the masks. No, the biggest threat is people not washing their hands enough. Your hand touches a surface that has the germ, then you touch your face, and voila, you're sick.
Is it such a terrible thing to stay home, though? I don't think so. In recent years, as Mother has become increasingly fragile and I have worked from home more and more, I have come to cherish staying home. I love my yard. I love walking Lola around my neighborhood. We see something new every day, whether it's a neighbor's new flowers blooming, or a birdhouse suddenly filled with a family, or a neighbor's lovely new roof. I never listen to music while I walk because I like to chat with folks I see.
What's wrong with Working in the yard? Playing board games? With gathering around the piano to sing? With starting spring cleaning a bit early?
I grew up with a Mom who hated to drive in bad weather, particularly in snow. So we always had 2-3 weeks worth of food in the pantry and freezer. A couple of times in Knoxville when we had snowstorms we ate out of the canned and frozen food stores, a lot. Mom was adept at making tasty casseroles and skillet dinners with non-perishable foods she kept on hand.
The shortages are mostly just consumer panic and we need to stop freaking out and buying up all the hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Buy what you need for a week or so, not for the apocalypse.
Maybe, as a country, we need to take a step back from really busy lives and focus on family life, for a change. As individuals, we need to kick it into a lower gear, and not sweat the small stuff so much.
There are many lessons to be learned from this crisis.
Most of all, let's care about each more, and spend more time loving each other. Let's pray that this pandemic will not overwhelm our country, and that everyone will use common sense to prevent things from getting worse. Watch the news, but don't let it overwhelm you.
Laugh as much as possible. Laughter is healing.
Peace be with you.
