Two weeks ago, I wrote that my girlfriend’s aunt in Jamaica had contracted Coronavirus (COVID-19) from that country’s Patient Zero. Then, in a comment nearly a week ago, I wrote:
My cousin is an E.R. doctor at Bellevue. I texted him days ago to find out how he was holding up, and haven’t heard back. He’s over 60 and has a couple of health issues himself, so it’s fair to say he’s now on the front lines, risking his life to help others.
I just found out from my mom that my cousin tested positive for Coronavirus today. According to Mom’s text, “hospital won’t admit him unless he is in respiratory distress.” Hopefully, that won’t happen, although he has other symptoms.
I know we could not have prevented Coronavirus from coming to America. But as a Daily Kos reader, I also know many ways that Donald Trump, and Republicans who use Trump as their role model, made this worse, through their incompetence, inaction, politically-based decisions, and more. Trump’s antics are beyond the corruption that got him impeached; they’re getting us sick, and even killing us. Every time I get on Twitter, I see another tweet like this:
As Trump has failed, we rely more on state governors. However, here in Florida, which is #6 on the list of Coronavirus cases, our Governor Ron DeSantis never instituted a statewide “stay at home” order. Rather, he put in place piecemeal orders that are baby steps, such as suspending vacation rentals and requiring visitors arriving from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to self-quarantine for 14 days. It’s nowhere near enough, and many Floridians that I see, possibly taking their cue from DeSantis, aren’t taking this crisis seriously. For example, many aren’t social distancing, and the landscapers are still riding around together in trucks, manicuring the hedges to their usual unnatural degree, as if nothing has changed.
We’re increasingly reliant on good public servants to help save our lives. And to a large extent, we’ll have to rely on ourselves and each other to get through this. I think we’ll get to the point, unfortunately, where just about everyone has a loved one who gets the virus. As for my family, we’ve already lost 2 of 4 male cousins at young ages, including the doctor’s younger brother in boyhood. It would be great if I wasn’t the only one left.
Tuesday, Mar 31, 2020 · 11:14:43 PM +00:00 · MessagingMatters
Update: Now I hear he told another family member today that the hospital “didn’t have enough protective equipment.” So is it now just a matter of time before many of the doctors and nurses, as well as patients who are there for other ailments, come down with Coronavirus too?