Things have been pretty bleak the last month or so. The number of people who have contracted COVID-19 continues to grow, and sadly so too have the number of people who've died. According to the CDC, if the country adheres to the guidelines it set forth, the number of fatalities could still range from between 100,000 and 240,000. If it doesn't, God only knows what the totals could be.
But even in such gloomy times, there are still some things that we can be grateful for. In fact, four to be precise.
One: The doctors, nurses and other first responders on the front lines, who are literally endangering their lives treating the victims of this pandemic under the most brutal circumstances imaginable, are truly heroes. Many of them have been forced to reuse their personal protection equipment and the hospitals they work at are rapidly running out of available ventilators. Thanks to the short sightedness of what laughingly passes for the medical industry in this country, some of these heroes might soon be forced to decide who lives and who dies. This is not the mission they signed up for, but it's the one they've been given. When this is over, every single one of them should get the Congressional Medal of Honor, along with an all-expense paid vacation to a destination of their choosing.
Two: As devastating as this virus has been on the economy so far, it would've been significantly worse had it not been for the technology that permits millions of people to work from the safety of their homes and to conduct video conferencing on their laptops and smart phones; technology, mind you, that was largely unavailable only a decade ago. The next time you see a nerd or a geek, be sure to thank him. People like him are likely the reason you still have a job and your company hasn't gone under.
Three: While the federal government - particularly the Administration - continues to fumble the ball, the states have taken the lead. Governors Andrew Cuomo of New York, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gavin Newsom of California, Larry Hogan of Maryland and others just like them have put aside the typical partisanship that has so often poisoned our politics. All of them should be commended for their results-only approach that has given their constituents at least some hope that things could get better.
Four: Virtually no one alive today can remember the 1918-19 influenza pandemic that claimed more than 675,000 lives. Not even the Great Depression of the 1930s can compare to the carnage that was unleashed during that outbreak. Yet despite the economic and social hardships of this crisis, the resilience of the American people has been nothing short of extraordinary. We still don't know how many people will die or how many jobs will be lost, but this is much is certain: so far, the vast majority are buying in and cooperating with the authorities. It's still early. Who knows? By Summer, this may all unravel as millions succumb to cabin fever. For now, though, things appear to be holding together.
It's easy to get down. As the old saying goes: it's always darkest before the dawn. Before this pandemic is over, it may get black as night. That's why it's so important not to lose faith. We need to look for any glimmer of hope, no matter how small. It's the only way we can keep from going insane. There'll be plenty of time to dole out responsibility later.
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