COVID19: April 4, 2020 - Dr. Fauci

I seem to be okay these days, until I turn on the T.V. I tell myself I’m going to watch some fluffy rom-com on Netflix, but I always take a detour on CNN because…well, I have no idea why. Maybe it’s because I know that I can’t hide in a bubble while I’m hiding in my home.  Or perhaps it’s because I don’t want to be caught unprepared. Whatever the case, I need to check in on the latest news.

I’m always hoping to hear from Dr. Tony Fauci because he’s the one I trust. But even Dr. Fauci seems to be telling me different things each day, and it's starting to shake my confidence in his words. Despite his authoritative aura, the earth appears to be moving beneath his feet, too.

Perhaps the most unnerving thing about covid-19 is that most of us didn’t see it coming. By that, I mean that even though we may have known it was coming, we had no idea what that meant for us. How could we? Those of us who are currently living have no experience to compare it to. 

That feeling of being caught off guard continues. Every day we learn something new about this virus. It’s like I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and nobody can tell me how many feet this creature has, so I’ve come to expect lots more shoe-dropping in the days ahead.

First, we were told to avoid other people because the virus is on their hands. Whenever we touched other people, we had to thoroughly wash our hands for 20-30 seconds, depending on whether we're of the singing “Twinkle-twinkle Little Star” or praying “The Lord’s Prayer” camp. Oh, and, whatever you do, we heard again and again, don’t touch your face! We all learned how, when someone is telling you not to touch your face, all you want to do is touch your face. 

Then we heard that the coronavirus isn't transmitted simply from physical contact with other people. It also hangs out on surfaces, for a longer time on some than others. We were told to set our groceries aside after we brought them home from the store, to wait for the germs to die. Some said it took a day, some said three days, some said a week. And then it depends on the kind surface it is, what the temperature is, etc. No one really seems to know how long this virus lives on surfaces. So disposable gloves are a good idea when you unload your groceries. Or you could just continue eating what’s in your house until you’ve run out of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese dated June 2008. 

We were also told, in the beginning, that the virus lives on droplets that people put into the air when they cough or sneeze. So we had to be careful to cough into our elbows and stand six feet apart because that’s about how far those pesky droplets can travel in the air. Face masks weren’t necessary, as long as you kept the recommended distance. 

The latest wisdom says that it’s more than the droplets. It’s actually just breathing. If you’re around someone who is breathing (I certainly hope the people you're around are), and they have the coronavirus, you’re in trouble. 

But now, here’s the kicker. We really don't know who has the virus because half the people who have it don’t have any symptoms, and even they don’t know they have it because only people who are symptomatic are being tested (if they're lucky and happen to be living in the right place). So now we’re hearing that we should all be wearing masks to protect ourselves from… us. 

Initially, we were told this is an old person’s disease and one that can be serious for those who have medical conditions making them vulnerable. Then we started hearing about healthy young adults, and even children, getting the virus, and some of them don’t recover. While the virus seems to favor certain people, clearly no one is safe. 

The rules change. The recommendations change. The forecasts change. We’re shooting at a moving target that makes no logical sense. It’s erratic. It’s random. It seems to have a life of its own. It’s engaged us in a battle of wits, and it appears to be smarter than we are. 

All that’s to say that, the best guidance we’ve received is to stay at home. Yeah, I know that it’s all about flattening the curve. I’ve seen the pictures and it makes sense. I’ll do my part. 

But here’s what makes even more sense to me. No one knows what we’re dealing with here. The information keeps changing from day to day. And until we know, until the facts are in and we know who gets this disease, how they get it, how it can be prevented, and how it can be treated, I’ll gladly stay home and encourage everyone else to stay at home, too. 

Dr. Fauci, let me know when you have all the facts nailed down, when we understand how covid-19 works. Then it will be safe for us to come out of our homes. Until then, I’ll see you on CNN.