On Friday, October 23rd, America recorded "more than 83,000" COVID-19 cases, the highest Coronavirus cases in a single day since the pandemic began. The previous record for cases per day was in July, with 6,000 fewer cases. As time has gone along since March 13, I think it's safe to say that the urgency of getting the nation healthier has diminished as the life we've been living the past seven months became normal.
From an article published on April 2nd of this year, COVID-19 was described as a war, Trump calling himself a "wartime president" and coronavirus being an "invisible enemy." Americans' health and lives have been at stake for seven months during this "war," and Americans' defense has been slacking because the cases per a single day reached the highest peak just a couple of days ago. Besides having data for comparing to previous months for virus research, as a country, it seems to be we are no better than when we started.
Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey recently said, "the virus has not gone away simply because we are tired of it," and in the final presidential debate last Thursday, candidate Joe Biden warned, "we're about to go into a dark winter," and Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said, "we easily will hit six-figure numbers in term of numbers of cases [per day]."
Osterholm also describes people's attitudes towards the virus as being "virus fatigue" or "pandemic anger" who are contributing to the rise of transmission of the virus; either choosing to ignore the guidelines because they are "fatigued" of them, or not believing the virus exists. People want to see their family and friends, that's understandable, we all do, but with the weather getting colder, going to bars and restaurants, large events, or any indoor meetings has been a major cause to the increasing cases.
Looking at the concept of American exceptionalism, some Americans are ignoring the issue, believing we are indestructible, greater than any challenge thrown our way, but in this case, American exceptionalism has masked (pun intended) people from being pandemically smart. How can the situation get better if people don't take proactive actions to make things better?
In your life, does the COVID-19 situation feel more or less intense? Considering the information that just the other day America reached the highest number of cases per day it has ever faced.
Why is it so difficult to believe in something that you can't see? If America is very STEM advanced, why aren't people giving credit to science?
Do you think that a change in leadership can lead to better results in this pandemic, or has it been the individuals of the nation choosing for themselves?
I don't believe the situation can get better unless people choose to (or are forced to) take proactive action to make things better. Not taking action would be like doing nothing and expecting improvement.
ReplyDeleteI am skeptical that America is very STEM advanced, since, as you say, people aren't giving credit to science. Science illiteracy is a big problem in America. One problem is people can find evidence for any absurd theory they want to propose. The problem is further exacerbated by attacks on news media and the espousing of false or misleading scientific information by politicians.
A change in leadership can undoubtedly lead to better results in the pandemic. For example, just encouraging/requiring mask wearing would have significant effects on the pandemic, saving tens of thousands of lives. A change in leadership could serve to depoliticize medical institutions and lead to more decisions following health guidelines.
Agreed Tristan, I think it is a basic understanding that children learn, maybe one could even say it is like the education reform, wanting to instill "moral values" to uphold society's stability, and that lesson is one can't expect something to happen without action. Additionally with your insightful point, there is an illiteracy with science in America, and interestingly enough I think that leads into as you said, politicians playing with science. I don't think people expect the president to be a scientist or doctor or anything with a doctorate in a STEM major, but to say the least we expect someone who is a good leader and diplomat of the nation, that will respect the professionals in other fields of work. Consequently, having a president that is a business person also doesn't lead to good results because their focus isn't dedicated to the United States of America, but has other possibly negative or selfish influences. Again, really insightful connection with the topics becoming politicized, especially in a politically polarized state the U.S. is in, only leading to more division. Hopes to the best!
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ReplyDeletePersonally, it definitely feels like the COVID situation has normalized somewhat for most people, even living here in the Bay Area. Obviously there are still some differences from normal life-online school, most people wearing masks, some businesses being closed-but in general, people have gotten used to pandemic life now. In more conservative areas or states, I can only imagine that people must feel even more normalized to the virus at this point.
Now, in terms of when the situation will get better, the only real answer is with a vaccine. Even as the pandemic started I knew that people would get tired of online life eventually, and now that's coming true. As more people "give up", infections and deaths rise, which in turn leads to exponentially more cases. Unless there are stricter nationwide quarantine policies (which, by the way, would also cause a lot of conflict for other reasons), I don't see the situation getting getter without a vaccine. And until there is a vaccine, there is just no guarantee of your safety when you step outside anymore.
That's a very true statement, Rohan. Things have gotten so normal that one can only think, what will happen when things go back to the, what will now be, the "old" "normal". Still, if I think about the whole situation for too long, it feels very weird and unreal but that just reflects on how humans can adapt quickly to the situation, but in this case, we don't exactly want future generations to be the ones evolving to this "normal." Exactly, looking at it from a scientific/medical perspective, a vaccine and following the guidelines and policies is going to be the solution. It's crazy to think about the possibility that COVID-19 can become annual like the flu or something similar, and how the flu back then was also a pandemic. That's what makes history really mind-blowing when you think about it, thanks for sharing your nice insights.
DeleteDespite the fact that our situation is just getting worse, the reality that we're in a "pandemic" seems a lot less intense. It's probably because it's lasted so long and how people will adjust to new ways of life. I mean, we have the whole "it's 2020, what bad news is coming next?" thing going on.
ReplyDeleteI think people find it difficult to believe what they can't see because they don't affect them directly. And it's not that lockdown isn't affecting everyone directly-- it is-- it's that the virus isn't necessarily affecting everyone personally. For some people, it would take either them or someone close to them actually catching the virus for them to realize the gravity of the situation. Then they can see it happening in front of them. That might make those people seem really dense-- and that's not to say that they aren't, it's entirely possible that they are-- but, unfortunately, that's just the way that some people are.
A change in leadership could change things for the better in terms of the pandemic, but I think it really boils down to people getting their stuff together and actually working to stop it from spreading more than it already has. You can set rules in place and tell people not to do things, but that doesn't mean they'll follow the rules or not do what you tell them. I think our best chance is a vaccine, because if people weren't willing to make a small change to their personal lives to help everyone else before, they probably won't do it now.
Very right Colin, in this day and age a lot of issues are humorized (but also well wide spread) by the younger generations, diminishing some seriousness to it. Again, you're right, it's said a lot that if the air-borne aspect was visible, it would be a lot more scary and there would be a visually noticeable incentive to stay safe and healthy, but as much as there are shared experiences on the news and over social media about COVID-19, the higher influencers, like Trump, have hushed out those stories of pain and suffering, kind of similar to Andrew Jackson and the Indian Removal Act in 1830. Again, bringing up a really insightful point that a vaccine will be the push over the cliff for some people to actually do something proactive against the virus. Thinking back to what I have heard about WWII, people would use dark colored fabrics for their curtains so the light wouldn't shine during the night, making it harder for the enemy planes above to see where the towns are. That is an example of how dedicated, strong, and unstoppable a united American force can look like, unlike now where it's like everybody for themselves, choose a leader you like, do what you want. Thanks for your really insightful responses.
DeleteSorry, thinking about that reference to WWII didn't make logical sense when I though it over since other than Pearl Harbor there weren't many battles on American soil, but I'm 100% sure that's what my dad said his mother told him, but the idea still stands true. When Americans worked together in a collective effort during those wars, they were very effective and unstoppable in strength.
DeleteI definitely see evidence of "virus fatigue" recently. I've been seeing more pictures of people gathering in large groups without masks, which demonstrates the intentional ignorance that you mentioned. This is also an example of the fact that with the current enforcements of health guidelines, people are able to choose whether or not they want to be safe. A change in leadership could lead to better results in this pandemic if that new leadership made efforts to strengthen the enforcement of guidelines, but even then, I think a huge part of achieving those results depends on individuals making the right choice themselves.
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