4/7 Covid-19 Update: "And yet! Look what majesty you get to be a part of"
So, a few of you alerted me to the fact that yesterday's update was a tad bit on the dark side (this is what happens when Francis and Kobe are the only people I have to talk to -- they're not necessarily equipped to pull me back from the ledge), so no dire predictions of mortality, disease curves, or economic collapse today.
If you read one thing:
I can't recommend this WaPo article (link below) enough if you're looking for a thorough, well-organized explanation of how the US got itself into the mess that it's in. I know it's sometimes hard to look backwards when you're in the midst of a crisis, but I find it strangely reassuring that journalists are putting these pieces together in real time, and I hope it leads to course correction and a better government response. It's long, but worth it.
The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged: From the Oval Office to the CDC, political and institutional failures cascaded through the system and opportunities to mitigate the pandemic were lost.
Tl;dr: How will we know when it's time to reopen the nation?
A really helpful article in the NYT that answers a lot of questions I've heard about what it will take for things to start to reopen (and when). It's obviously been hard for modelers/public health officials to project too far into the future because the models are so dependent on human behavior (our continued commitment to flattening the curve), how functional the government's response is ,and how widespread testing is, and that it will vary by city/state --- but I think this article nails the basics:
Hospitals in the state must be able to safely treat all patients requiring hospitalization, without resorting to crisis standards of care.
A state needs to be able to test at least everyone who has symptoms.
The state is able to conduct monitoring of confirmed cases and contacts.
There must be a sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days.
Things that made me feel better/less alone:
If you haven't found John Krasinski's "Some Good News" yet (thanks for introducing me, Pedro!), it's basically the best. Yesterday was episode 2, and featured a Hamilton cameo that made my heart very, very happy.
This was the explanation I needed on the toilet paper shortage. Did you know Americans didn't really start using toilet paper until the 1940s?? “They had to convince people to use it,” he said. “They had an enormous ad campaign that terrified women, with surgeons with gloves and scalpels saying, ‘It’s a pity she didn’t buy her husband proper toilet paper.’” (Ask me how I feel about that).
Matthew McConaughey and his family play virtual bingo with senior living residents: This is as good as it sounds.
No more parking tickets in Seattle!!! (temporarily): As someone who has made an art form out of dodging tickets, I couldn't be happier about this.
Covid-19 Love Note of the Day:
NYC has been heavy on my heart this week. It was my first love, and my favorite city in the world. I'm grateful for its resilience, and this love note by Mari Andrew:
A picture of last night's sunset from Gas Works below. Sending love.
-Alison
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