The two major news sources in America (FOX and CNN) are talking about the Biden victory. If you scroll down the page just enough to lose site of the top image you’ll find information about the Coronavirus. You won’t find answers. You will find questions without much speculation on possible answers. You’ll find opinion pieces on the handling of the situation and finger pointing between the two parties. You might find an article or two about how to prepare and how not to prepare. It is not the ‘sky is falling’ panic presumed by our President, nor is it enough, IMHO to wake us to the possibility of what is actually taking place here.
With very little digging I was able to find a nifty infographic showing the infection rate of the disease. Basically, every person infected can push this out to about 2.5 people, which puts it on par with influenza. That virus is better recognized as the flu. It is so prevalent and contagious that we offer shots everywhere. That is to suggest that Covid-19 has the potential to be at least as potent.
In plainer terms, it is worth worrying about. The idea that it can jump species to dogs makes it all the more troubling. So, I would say that now is in truth the time to worry. We’ve already seen the first death in America, and the CDC et al. are still not sure how the patient came in contact with the virus in the first place. That is to say it is out there.
While the political folks scream, shout, and downplay in the standard throws of election year drama I think it is important to consider that there is something happening that is larger than the election (in a sense). We are close to a global crisis and for once America is no where near trying to be in charge or at the very least helpful. So, what happens when we are not?