Brace yourself to stare into the eye of coronavirus storm
Brace yourself.
Our coronavirus pandemic nightmare is about to get worse. Much worse.
That’s not us or anyone else in the media, or even our governor, crying “Wolf.” That is the dire warning issued yesterday from the nation’s top health officials.
Here in Pennsylvania, we have now seen the total number of cases of COVID-19, the illness resulting from the novel coronavirus, spike to close to 13,000. The statewide death toll stands at 162.
Here in Delaware County, officials now report 822 positive tests and 15 deaths. In Montgomery County, one of the epicenters of infection in the state, more than 1,200 have now tested positive, and 18 victims have died.
Across the nation, the toll has skyrocketed, with nearly 337,000 sickened, and more than 9,600 killed.
And it’s about to get worse. That’s the word from Dr. Jerome Adams. He just happens to be the surgeon general of the United States.
Sunday morning, on Palm Sunday, as Christians prepared to embark on the most solemn week on the calendar, Adams offered a grim warning about the days that lie ahead.
“This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives, quite frankly,” a resolute Adams indicated.
How bad is it going to be? “This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment,” he said. “Only it’s not going to be localized,” said Adams, the nation’s top doctor. “It’s going to be happening all over the country. And I want America to understand that.”
His words echoed the stark message delivered the day before by the White House coronavirus coordinator.
Dr. Deborah Birx made an urgent plea to the American people, most of whom now have hunkered down in their homes for the past two weeks, to do even more.
“The next two weeks are extraordinarily important,” Birx said. “This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe.”
The message seemed to be directed at several states – including Pennsylvania – where outbreaks remain on the upswing. Other areas included on that list are Colorado and Washington, D.C.
Birx indicated that hard-hit hotspots such as New York City, Detroit and Louisiana are predicted to hit their peak death tolls in the next six to seven days.
That key difference, with Pennsylvania still being on the upswing, is why Birx hammered home the message of staying home unless absolutely necessary.
Even President Trump admitted the dire nature of what the nation is facing in the next few weeks.
Trump warned America to brace itself for a “lot of deaths” in the coming week, adding that it will be a “very horrendous” time for the nation. “This will probably be the toughest week - between this week and next week,” Trump told reporters. “There will be a lot of death, unfortunately. But a lot less death than if this wasn’t done,’ he added of the measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus.
On Sunday, the president sounded a bit more optimistic tone, citing some glimmers of hope and the belief that the worst of the pandemic may soon be behind us.
“We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel,” he said at a Sunday evening White House briefing. Vice President Mike Pence sounded a similar tone. “We are beginning to see glimmers of progress,” Pence commented.
The president went out of his way to stress his more optimistic tone was not an attempt to lessen the dire warning from his surgeon general just a few hours before.
“I think we all know that we have to reach a certain point - and that point is going to be a horrific point in terms of death - but it’s also a point at which things are going to start changing,” President Trump said. “We’re getting very close to that level right now.”
Not surprisingly, Dr. Anthony Fauci, another top adviser to the coronavirus task force and the nation’s leading infectious expert, offered resolute advice: Buckle down.
Fauci said the rising death toll in the coming week is “going to be shocking to some, but that’s what is going to happen before it turns around, so just buckle down.” So what are we to do?
First and foremost, do what nearly every official has asked. Stay at home. If possible, even eliminate those routine trips to the supermarket or pharmacy this week.
It’s hard to believe that this has to be stressed but it’s clear that even after the devastation of the last few weeks, not everyone has gotten the message. Avoid social gatherings.
If you must travel out and come in contact with the public, practice social distancing, keep a distance of 6 feet between yourself and others. Wear a mask over your nose and mouth.
Wash your hands. Often.
The next two weeks will test our mettle like nothing in recent memory.
We can all do our part.
Just by staying home. And staying safe.