I watch the numbers. They go up. I watch the president tell us that we can get a test if we need it. The numbers go up. I watch hospitals that are overwhelmed, understaffed and under supplied. The numbers go up. I watch people ignore warnings. The numbers go up.
If you have someone or are part of an at risk group, you are afraid. The numbers go up. People are panic buying. The numbers go up. Some people think it’s all overblown. The numbers go up.
I have not written to extensively on COVID-19. I am one who thinks things might get worse before they get better. I get it, especially if you feel like me, times are scary, as the numbers go up.
I model the outbreak daily and fret over the numbers. My model spit out fifty-six thousand of potential undiagnosed cases in the US this morning. The numbers go up.
It’s hard not to get distressed as people argue whether there is really a problem. The numbers are going up and this shouldn’t be a political argument. A partisan divide doesn’t stop the numbers going up.
Ignoring the disease or thinking it isn’t that big of a deal doesn’t stop the numbers going up. It doesn’t help the health care worker who doesn’t have enough medical supplies. It doesn’t help the person who lost their job. It doesn’t help anybody when the numbers are going up.
We live in a world where many people don’t care unless it happens to them. That doesn’t stop the numbers from going up. As testing gets more widespread, the number are going up. In one week we went from 2,952 cases to 19,775 as of this morning. The numbers are going up, exponentially.
Now, you might say, that’s just because we are testing more (I argue we still aren’t testing enough). The numbers are still going up. The numbers are going up regardless. All the hoarding, complaints, and denial aren’t going to stop that.
Have I depressed you enough on this Saturday morning? Did I scare you? I don’t want anyone to be depressed, but I think now is the time to be scared. It is a public health crisis that is already overwhelming hospitals in affected areas. Based on all the models I have seen, including my own, things are going to get worse before it gets better.
This isn’t political. This isn’t personal. This is the time for kindness and to help yourself, your family, friends, and community. The numbers go up.
Remain Lost 