Coronavirus disease, COVID-19 on March 12, 2020, and more on March 20

Human civilization has evolved one tragedy after another throughout its history. It has found our current status following wars, xenophobia, crime, corruption and disease inflicted in large part upon itself. But still it survives these vicissitudes. Today, and after several weeks the world claims to be united in the cause to contain and eradicate COVID-19. But is it really?

We have a communication ability with our telephones, our computers, our instant written messages using the Internet, our ability to share collective information and knowledge, both pictorially, written and transmitted instantly with systems using the Internet and Google. But do we?

Some spokespersons speak without basic underlying knowledge to an equally ignorant populace who must follow these dictates, while the experts remain silent. That doesn't make sense to this writer. COVID-19 is a world wide Pandemic, whose validity was proclaimed March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Only a few weeks ago the medical condition was first  diagnosed and treated in Wuhan, China. But the problem grew in places like Italy and then to other countries in the west including Europe, Canada and the USA. One spokesperson speaking with confidence made false claims that a cure and a vaccine would be ready in a month. That spokesperson was none other than the President of the United States; 'there's the rub.' (That's where the problem/obstacle is.) Fortunately, a medical expert from the CDC was close at hand to deliver the truth that a vaccine could be as much as 18 months away. There was no retraction by the POTUS.

That the POTUS continues to deliver monotone edicts that shall be followed no matter how seriously flawed they may be must cause serious concern for all of us. Today he cancelled all flights from Europe to the USA carrying Europeans on board. He made this proclamation to protect the safety of the American citizens. My issue is not that this edict is right or wrong, it is that he didn't discuss, or give his European counterparts a heads-up before he spoke? What we do know is the Markets for all kinds of related Industries nose-dived immediately creating economic problems on top of the medical issues facing us now. Did he listen to any advisors before he made the call?

I started this blog suggesting that civilization survives all kinds of man-made folly and otherwise. Am I confident that we'll turn this corner as well? When will we learn to listen to the experts and carefully consider that wisdom before a spokesperson acts? Without this principle firmly in place we'll repeat the same kinds of mistakes for as long as we last.

This should have been a Bat, not a Rhino

It's March 20, 2020 and the entire world is talking about Coronavirus COVID-19, the disease and its affects worldwide. Millions of us are self-isolated trying to avoid the spreading sickness. You can learn what you need to know by clicking This Link. 

In Port Credit, like all other places, we are seeing this insidious self-isolation and social-distancing everywhere. The stores have little on their shelves due to hoarding brought on by a frightened populace, and of course, the absence of goods on the shelves. Here are the main points as of March 19, 2020 from the World Health Organization: 

[[• Seven new countries/territories/areas (African Region [3], Eastern Mediterranean Region [1], European Region [1], and Region of the Americas [2]) have reported cases of COVID-19.

• The number of confirmed cases worldwide has exceeded 200,000. It took over three months to reach the first 100,000 confirmed cases, and only 12 days to reach the next 100,000.

• A new protocol to investigate the extent of COVID-19 infection in the population, as determined by positive antibody tests in the general population has been developed. The protocol is titled the Population-based age-stratified seroepidemiological investigation protocol for COVID-19 virus infection.]]

These are numbers that scare the pants off people who are in the know. Perhaps the truth can be spoon-fed to us, but it must be the truth.