All the things I'm thinking about the pandemic

1. Now everyone knows what it feels like to have OCD. The panicky feeling of uncertainty. The catastrophic "what ifs." Imagine experiencing that for everything, all the time, when there is not a global pandemic. 

2. I have spoken to my doctor about COVID-19, and I know people who work in the ER. COVID-19, as Italy is showing us, has the potential to bring the health care system to its knees. While I am not necessarily worried about me catching it, or my children catching it, I am concerned about what it could mean for all the people who end up needing non-COVID care if the hospitals become overwhelmed with providing COVID-19 care. 

What I think about is that IF you experience a heart attack and go to the hospital, your care could be compromised.

IF you are in a car accident and are rushed to the hospital, your care could be compromised.

IF you have a kidney stone attack and go to the hospital, your care could be compromised.

IF you develop appendicitis and go to the hospital, your care could be compromised.

IF you are shot and go to the hospital, your care could be compromised.

IF you have an accident with a tool or a kitchen knife and go to the hospital, your care could be compromised.

IF you develop symptoms of a stroke and go to the hospital, your care could be compromised.

IF you have an allergic reaction to something and go to the hospital, your care could be compromised.

IF you are pregnant, begin experiencing complications, and go to the hospital, your care could be compromised.

Even if your care isn't compromised, you could end up catching the virus from all the people at the hospital who have it, if it comes to that. 

Of course, those are a lot of ifs, but people need emergency or urgent care for lots of reasons all the time. Our hospitals can only handle so many patients with so many critical needs. 

3. The people who are blowing this off seem to lack imagination and empathy. 

4. The people who are blowing this off are also scared. Fear can make you do a couple different things. One of those things is FIGHT. In the case of COVID-19, it is taking precautions and doing everything possible to fight against getting it. The other thing is FLIGHT, which can be denial. 

"Oh, it's no big deal."
"It's just like flu."

"It's the media overhyping everything."

Maybe you think you are coming across as assured and confident, but I read it as FRIGHTENED, just like the rest of us. 

5. If this virus blows over, and the US doesn't experience a huge increase in cases and deaths, it will be because of public health experts and people heeding their advice. And possibly luck. 

I suspect that people who wonder why they had to learn about exponential change in math because they would NEVER need it in real life are finding out why they needed to know something about it.