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Thanksgiving Day 2020 - COVID-19 vs Us

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This is not really a fair fight.  In one corner of the ring sits the novel coronavirus.  It's invisible and can attack without warning.  Moreover, when it lands a punch, the victim may not even feel its impact for several days.  It can fell even a highly trained athletic competitor.  And it has proven expertise in psychological warfare.  It's opponents - us - are scared that we might become tomorrow's victims.  The virus clearly understands and exploits the power of fear.   And with deepening pandemic fatigue, the virus gains a strategic advantage as we tire of practicing recommended public health mitigation efforts.  

And in the opposite corner sits us, with a mask dangling loosely below our nostrils.  We thought that heading into the mall or to a friend's party would relax us before the competition.   After all, how much risk could there to be to have a quick drink at a coworker's house?   Or flying to another city to join with family at a Thanksgiving reunion?   "Didn't Dr. Fauci imply that airports were virus-free zones?" we recalled.  And all passengers on the plane, even the guy who kept coughing, were wearing masks, except when they were snacking every 15 minutes or so. 

The fight is only half over and I'm not sure we'll be able to endure 12 rounds.  Either we'll be knocked out cold or the referee will call a TKO.  


This is us with 6 rounds to go.

Perhaps, we should pursue a new strategy?

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Comments

  1. JaneNovember 29, 2020 at 6:33 PM

    This breaks my heart. It makes me angry. The experience of living in the U.S. in this pandemic has opened my eyes and made me aware of the deep divisions in our country. The situation almost seems beyond our control, as educated and uneducated people alike are swept along in a sea of misinformation and an inability apparently to consider anyone else but ourselves.I just don't understand how we got here, disagreeing not on philosophical grounds, but about things that are based in fact and science. There is deep distrust thanks to people who have abused our trust, and it is to the detriment of us all.

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  2. Michael Kirsch, M.D.January 16, 2021 at 8:45 AM

    Jane, even a few months after you offered your comment, your words are more true now then they were then. I also have been disappointed in the senseless rejection and politicization of simple public health measures to protect all of us. This has revealed an aspect of our society that is less than admirable.

    ReplyDelete

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