3/18 Covid-19 Update: "Connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful"
Afternoon everyone,
Today's "If You Read One Thing" is a good one, so let's get right to it.
If You Read One Thing:
Bill Gates did a Reddit AMA this morning (for those of you who don't know what that is, it means "Ask Me Anything" and is basically Bill sitting at a computer taking questions in real time from strangers on the Internet. Questions are submitted and users vote on them, so the most popular questions are the ones he sees at the top). If you click on the link Reddit AMA link, then click on the blue box that says "View Entire Discussion."
He answers questions about how to make sure that covid tests don't just go to the rich and powerful, efforts to find a vaccine, THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL DISTANCING, what Americans can be doing right now to help, educational resources for kids/parents/teachers, why we should not call this "the China virus" and what makes him most afraid/hopeful: Highly recommend reading the whole thing!
A few of my favorites:
Q: Can you explain briefly what most Americans can do to help other Americans in this moment of crisis?
A: A big thing is to go along with the "shut down" approach in your community so that the infection rate drops dramatically to let us go back to normal as soon as possible. Some people like health care workers will be doing heroic work and we need to support them. We do need to stay calm even though this is an unprecedented situation.
Q: What about the current crisis worries you the most? What gives you the most hope
A: The current phase has a lot of the cases in rich countries. With the right actions including the testing and social distancing (which I call "shut down") within 2-3 months the rich countries should have avoided high levels of infection. I worry about all the economic damage but even worse will be how this will affect the developing countries who cannot do the social distancing the same way as rich countries and whose hospital capacity is much lower.
Q: Should there be a national shelter in place order? Why or why not?
A: Most people can shelter in their home but for people who that doesn't work for there should be a place for them to go. We are working on seeing if we can send test kits to people at home so they don't have to go out and so the tests get to the people who are the priority. The US still is not organized on testing.
Q: How long will this go on?
A: This will vary a lot by country. China is seeing very few cases now because their testing and "shut down" was very effective. If a country does a good job with testing and "shut down" then within 6-10 weeks they should see very few cases and be able to open back up.
Recommended Reading:
"Trump Slowly Enlisting More Agencies in ‘Whole of Government’ Response to Virus": "Hospital ships stayed in port, veterans hospitals awaited orders and requests for help went unanswered, as much of the government remained on the sidelines."
"Hospital Workers Make Masks From Office Supplies Amid U.S. Shortage": "We’re not getting new supplies and our stores are almost depleted." (Photo below of people in Seattle making medical gear out of office supplies - this city needs your prayers right now).
"They Went Off the Grid. They Came Back To Coronavirus."On Feb. 19, Mr. Edler, 27, and more than a dozen others set out for a 25-day adventure: rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. No cell service. No news. Not even a passing dispatch from fellow travelers.Since they’d left, the coronavirus exploded in the United States and around the world, he told the group. Italy was under lockdown. The stock market was plummeting. Professional sports were suspended. Many schools were closed indefinitely. Infections were growing exponentially. Tom Hanks had it.
Nate Silver has been great on Twitter and fivethirtyeight making sense of the data that's coming out of China/S Korea/Europe
Good News:
Netflix launched "Netflix Party" - a way to watch shows/movies with your friends and family while maintaining social distance. I love this!
We all might have impenetrable floof like this sheep after quarantine:
COVID-19 Poem of the Day
(Thanks Herb for sending me this. I think it's so beautiful):
Pandemic
What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath—
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love–
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
–Lynn Ungar 3/11/20
Stay safe friends, and listen to Bill! Sending love.
Alison
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