The Coronavirus Pandemic five years later
Get the Point!
Five years ago today, the World Health Organization declared Covid 19 a "Global Pandemic" and within days, the world as I/we knew it was turned upside down!
As a diabetic/hypertensive, my doctor sent me a text message that week telling me to isolate and that if I had to venture out, to mask up! Still very much in a state of disbelief, my skepticism quickly began to wane once the courts and schools made the wise choice to turn virtual later that week! Soon thereafter, essential items like toilet paper and bleach were in painfully short supply, restaurants closed to sit down meals, and Door Dash, Instacart and similar apps became the go to methods to obtain food and materials for the fortunate, while the less fortunate braved the risk of contracting this phantom menace to ensure their daily sustenance.
Ol’ Hobbs all masked up in public during the pandemic
Those were frightening times, times made even more nerve wracking when considering that the president at the time, Donald Trump, mocked the seriousness of the disease at every turn even as the death tolls worldwide (and right here in America) grew steadily. An infection and death toll that claimed the lives of our kin, friends, and acquaintances across the nation, many of whom died alone—in pain—and couldn't even have traditional funerals due to the risk of spreading the disease!
Five years and seven million lost lives later, I can't help but ask what have we learned here in America? I know that my life was forever changed in many ways five years ago this week and the memories haunt me up to this very hour. But really, what did we, the people, REALLY learn, what with the same wise-cracking president back then, the one who lost the 2020 election, in part, due to his poor handling of the Covid crisis, being reelected last fall and placing a quack, Robert Kennedy, as head of the Department of Health and Human Services? I can only conclude that we didn't learn much and we all, those who love Trump and those who loathe him, are dangerously at risk should the next pandemic come down the pike over the next four years.
God, forbid...
Lest we forget…
On March 6, we attended the funeral of a co-worker. At that time, we did not have a definitive answer as to his illness. He had been ill with COVID-19 symptoms, but so little was known at that time about the disease. The previous Friday, however, we knew that he was on a respirator. (The law firm that I worked for was very red ... so red the partnership hosted fundraisers for trump and the governor at their homes w/them present. )
This was a COGIC funeral, followed by a family procession to Louisiana for a second line. The partnership had no clue.
When we returned to the office after 3 hours, our laptops had been prepared for remote work. We were instructed to remove everything from our desktops and tables to allow for deep cleaning.
I asked if it was because the co-worker may have had an unconfirmed case of COVID-19. They said No. Still, we were told to work remotely until further notice.
On the following Tuesday, then Mayor Sylvester Turner shut down the city.
I received the vaccine that May based on advice from my doctor..
Best news was that in December 2019 prior to any announcement, I purchased Moderna stock because of its vaccine research because I wanted to diversify towards pharmaceutical research.
I got vaxxed recently for MMR since my status was unknown and now am up to date on every vaccine available for known diseases. It's only the unknown ones now 😬