BEWARE VIRUS ON AMAZON BOXES!

Of course my security camera alarm went off at 3 a.m. today, because I'm not quite anxious enough.  I've not yet had a full blown, "I'm having a heart attack!" panic attack.  I credit my meditation and yoga practices for this relative "calm" (I use that word lightly.)  As I said in my last post, Pandemics and Health Anxiety Disorder do not play well together.  Sigh.  Deep breath.

So here's a paragraph from my last post exactly a week ago:  "...there are 100,000 diagnosed cases (of Covid 19 novel Corona virus) worldwide; 233 in the United States.  There are 39 cases confirmed in Washington State -- 31 in King Co (Seattle) and 8 in the county where I live.  Deaths worldwide stand at 3,400; 12 in the United States with 10 of those in Washington."

Let's update:  There are are now 134,700 diagnosed cases worldwide; 1,663 in the United States.  There are 420 confirmed cases in Washington State -- 190 in King Co. (Seattle) and 108 in the county where I live.  Deaths worldwide stand at 4,973; 41 in the United States with 31 of those in Washington.

So, as you can see, things are swiftly going very, very badly.  Every epidemiologist and pandemic expert warns things will get worse.  The federal government has totally botched the response by not taking this seriously at the onset and not providing test kits immediately.  There are still only a relative handful of test kits for the whole country.  If one gets sick we are told to stay home and do self care unless you get REALLY sick, then get to a hospital which may or may not have a bed (and a ventilator for the worst cases.)

Older adults are still at highest risk  -- those over 60 with risk increasing with age.  Also anyone with an underlying health condition is at increased risk.  These include many common ailments (heart disease, respiratory issues, diabetes, those on immuno-suppresent drugs, and more.)

We continue to be told to wash our hands, keep our distance from others, stay home if sick.  I know that is good advice and I'm following it to the letter.  But part of me feels like it is a "duck and cover" drill to ward off the effects of nuclear blast.

I just read an article in MIT Technological Review that explained current experiments being run to determine how long the virus hangs around once coughed or sneezed out of an infected person's upper respiratory tract.  Obviously you want to stay away from coughs and sneezes, but what about the air?  Other surfaces?

Scientists' current understanding is that the virus droplets can float around in the air for up to 3 hours.  On surfaces it can be days.

Here's a scary factoid.  You've been stuck at home socially distancing as is recommended, but out of boredom you've been doing some online shopping.  When those Amazon cardboard boxes arrive at your doorstep, Covid 19 virus can live on them for up to 24 hours!  Get out the latex gloves before opening!

The virus also particularly likes stainless steel and plastic, where it clings the longest; three days and more; copper only a few hours.  My stainless sinks, refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher? Yep; all that.  And plastic?  Isn't virtually every other object you touch at least partially made of plastic?  Your cell phone?  Duh!  (Fortunately it's easy to kill on these surfaces by using bleach, alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide. )

The article did offer the caveat that it is not proven that the virus can be transmitted from inanimate object to human, but it might, so keep those hands away from your face!  And wash, wash, wash.

On Wednesday it felt like the bottom of "normal" dropped out around here.  Our governor is showing real leadership and making hard decisions in an attempt to slow the rate of spread of this virus so our health care systems are not overloaded.  He cancelled all gatherings of over 250 people in the three county greater Seattle metropolitan area (that's me).  No sporting events, no concerts, no plays.  Every day I get a new email or FB post about other community gathering spots closing, like local park district programming, swimming pools, meetings of all types. Today, and it's still early, it was the local county-wide library system.  Schools here are closed for 6 weeks; churches are scrambling to live stream services held before empty pews.

Within 48 hours we now have national sports teams suspending seasons, Broadway in NYC going dark, museums closed, travel partially restricted from Europe (that's a dumb xenophobic move by the current president, but still in force) and on and on.  Businesses are shuttered and some may never recover.  People will lose income, have no childcare, and not be able to pay rent and bills.  The economic consequences will be vast.  The stock market plunged repeatedly in the past week with yesterday being the lowest it's been since the big crash in 1987.

It truly feels like this fell from the sky in a matter of days.  Our sense of "normal" has been tilted and it's like living on quicksand.  What next?

And also......there is a call to kindness. A call to compassion.  A call to help one another.  Informal support networks are springing up everywhere -- restaurants are closing their doors to customers but providing delivery and drive through services.  A local radio host sent out a call on her personal FB page to organize childcare assistance and teachers and childcare providers immediately come forth to offer their expertise and time to help struggling families.  There is a group I saw online organizing errand and grocery delivery for older adults who cannot or should not go out.  I expect this kind of community in crisis kindness will grow.  I hope so.  We are all in this together.  🙏🏽

At least, that's the view from here..©

Photo Credit: www.pixabay.com

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615348/heres-how-long-the-coronavirus-can-stay-in-the-air-and-on-packages/