UNITED STATES─This is something that I’ve been wanting to talk about for a few weeks, and because so much has been going on, I’ve simply forgotten about it. However, it’s the thing we’ve been talking about since the start of March, we are now into the second week of April and as soon as the news comes on the main headline is the Coronavirus. Not just that its continuing to spread, but the number of cases in certain states, the number of people who have died because of coronavirus, the number of new cases, it is something new every day. I get the goal of the news is to inform the public about what is going on, but are we educating the public or simply scaring them?
Yes, one would argue that it’s important to alert the public of what they should or should not be doing. I mean seeing those pics of people gathered in parks in New York or out and about in Washington D.C. like it’s no big deal is beyond alarming people. I think it hits close to home for people when they have a family member or close friend catch COVID-19 and then it becomes reality: this is serious.
Seeing people wearing masks over their faces and people waiting in line to get inside a grocery store to purchase essentials was a harsh reality. I’m used to seeing people wait in line for Black Friday deals, but not just any regular day of the week. It is the new norm, social distancing and keeping at least 6 feet away from people at all times. I think we are more in fear of other people, than people being in fear of you. We see all the bad about COVID-19, we’re rarely hearing about the good things. However, that did change this week for me. While watching the local news, I heard not one, but two stories about people who recovered from COVID-19.
The first was about a woman in her 40s, who was a nurse working at a VA hospital where she is certain that is where she contracted the virus, and how over a period of nearly 7 days the symptoms were at their worst in the beginning and as the days continue the symptoms got lighter, but they were damn serious. The one thing she continued to harp on was the difficulty of catching her breath. I’ve heard that from many people that the notion of not being able to breath is one of the most challenging symptoms of COVID-19. She has since recovered, after being in the hospital for nine days. She is not fully recovered, but a nurse who thought she was near death is working to gain her energy back.
On the flipside, I heard a tale from an ER doctor who talked about working 12-16 hours days, seeing the mayhem inside the ER and the hospital where he works. He talks about the caution he takes when he arrives home, which includes sanitizing himself in his garage, washing his clothes, taking a shower and maintaining social distance with his family by staying in the basement. There is a serious fear that this virus which can last on some surfaces several days and can be passed in ways that we still don’t fully know or understand is beyond highly contagious.
The point I’m trying to get across is there are positive tales out there America, and it’s up to not just the local news outlets, but the national news outlets to report more of these positive tales or deliver accolades to those medical professionals who are going above and beyond to ensure we are safe.
And it’s not just the government officials there are essential workers at grocery stores, the post office, restaurants and other businesses still operating and providing those services that many of us have come to take advantage of. So to all who are still working and providing essential services that are vital to our survival, I want to extend a generous THANK YOU!
Written By Zoe Mitchell
