36,000
Good morning, friends. Hope you and yours are well.
The title of my thoughts today refers to a recent estimate by researchers at Columbia University. They have studies the coronavirus spread in the United States and have determined that if our country had instituted a national program of social distancing a WEEK earlier, this many lives could potentially have been saved.
I was fairly sure that we would see information of this type come to light, but didn't think it would be quite this soon. Still jarring, regardless of the timing.
While I regret the limitations we're still under, I agree with them for the most part. Not eager to rush out to eat in restaurants, or to shop at the local mall. I said to my wife yesterday that this is a little like being concerned about driving in bad weather---it's not me that I worry about, it's everyone else. And we know that a large number of people have or have had coronavirus without even knowing it.
I'm fortunate to still be working, albeit from home, so I am much better off than almost 40 million of my fellow citizens. And that only takes into account those who have filed for unemployment benefits. Here in Kentucky we know that a large number of displaced workers have tried to file claims but have not successfully completed the process.
And my family is all well, although our younger grandchildren are confused as to why they only see us on a screen and not in person.
Hospitals in various parts of the country appear to be returning to a volume of patients that's closer to normal, but there are hot spots springing up in other areas, apparently in geographic areas where social distancing and other restrictions have been relaxed. Nursing homes, prisons and meat processing facilities all are producing large numbers of infected patients.
And to think that the spread could possibly have been better contained, if only the federal government had acted seven days earlier.
But they didn't, and here we are.
The title of my thoughts today refers to a recent estimate by researchers at Columbia University. They have studies the coronavirus spread in the United States and have determined that if our country had instituted a national program of social distancing a WEEK earlier, this many lives could potentially have been saved.
I was fairly sure that we would see information of this type come to light, but didn't think it would be quite this soon. Still jarring, regardless of the timing.
While I regret the limitations we're still under, I agree with them for the most part. Not eager to rush out to eat in restaurants, or to shop at the local mall. I said to my wife yesterday that this is a little like being concerned about driving in bad weather---it's not me that I worry about, it's everyone else. And we know that a large number of people have or have had coronavirus without even knowing it.
I'm fortunate to still be working, albeit from home, so I am much better off than almost 40 million of my fellow citizens. And that only takes into account those who have filed for unemployment benefits. Here in Kentucky we know that a large number of displaced workers have tried to file claims but have not successfully completed the process.
And my family is all well, although our younger grandchildren are confused as to why they only see us on a screen and not in person.
Hospitals in various parts of the country appear to be returning to a volume of patients that's closer to normal, but there are hot spots springing up in other areas, apparently in geographic areas where social distancing and other restrictions have been relaxed. Nursing homes, prisons and meat processing facilities all are producing large numbers of infected patients.
And to think that the spread could possibly have been better contained, if only the federal government had acted seven days earlier.
But they didn't, and here we are.
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