I am NOT very concerned about the Coronavirus. While they say, it is better to be safe than
sorry, IMHO the current panic is over the top.
Sure, reasonable restrictions can and should be undertaken. I would temporarily close the border or at
the very least ban travel to and from countries hard hit by the virus such as
China, Italy, Iran and South Korea.
Those seeking re-entry to the USA should be carefully screened and
infected people must be quarantined until they recover. Refusing a handshake from a stranger should
not be taken as offensive. Wash hands
more frequently and try to avoid touching your face, especially areas around
your mouth, nose or eyes. Take Vitamins,
especially C, and minerals to boost your immune system. I would not go on a cruise or travel to areas
hard hit by the virus such as Seattle, New York and California.
Out of the 350 million people in the United States, there
have been (as of 3/13/20) roughly 1,000 confirmed cases and 39 deaths. 26 of those deaths were in a Seattle nursing
home so that leaves just 13 others.
True, even 1 is tragic but least up to this point, it pales in
comparison to the common flu and is far LESS deadly than SARS and other
pandemics. I feel that the WHO’s quoted mortality
rate of 3% is an over-estimate. I
believe many people brushed off what they thought was a common flu but was in fact, the
coronavirus. I’ve heard horrific predictions
that 60-70% of the globe will be infected before it’s over. Highly doubtful. I believe it will peak by the end of the
month then begin to decline as the warm weather sets in. If
you are under 60 years of age and do not have a compromised immune system or
pre-existing lung disease, your risk is practically nil. It may take time for lung function to fully
recover, as with pneumonia and bronchitis, but I doubt that many cases result
in permanent damage. On the flip side
however, an otherwise healthy person could be a carrier and pass on the disease
to somebody in a higher risk group. My
parents are both in their 70s and I could never forgive myself if I carelessly
infected one of them and it turned deadly.
The elderly and other high-risk cases should be strongly encouraged, but
not required to stay at home as much as possible and to avoid large gatherings
of people.
While my energy and vitality has diminished in recent years,
my immune system has actually become MORE resilient. I do get the occasional common cold just like
everyone else but in the last 4 years, I have never missed work due to
illness. I never take the flu shot but
have only had the flu once in the last 15 years and it really was NOT that
bad. I was out of commission for 2-3
days and had some residual crud in my system for 2-3 weeks but after that, I
was as good as new. Bronchitis can be a
little rougher with the cough and congestion and I did have walking pneumonia
in middle school. The latter took
several months before I was fully recovered but eventually, I did. I figure that if I did catch the coronavirus,
the worst would be over within 5-7 days and I’d have to lay low for another
week as a precaution. I’ve been through
worse. Again, the real risk is to others
in higher risk groups, but those risks can be mitigated by taking normal precautions.
Over the past several days, we have seen schools closed and
all sporting events cancelled or postponed, including my planned half marathon
in Salisbury, Maryland. The stock market
is tanking, and we could see small businesses and people’s livelihoods
destroyed not because of the virus but because of the panic associated with
it. One e-mail described the current
panic as trying to kill a fly with a shotgun or burning down a house because it
is infested with a few roaches or mice.
That’s not far off. As for my
race, the RD had no choice. The governor
decreed that all public gatherings with 250 or more attendees MUST be canceled
until further notice. I assume that must
also include large church services.
Again, IMO, this is over the top but there is nothing that I can do
about it. I’ve heard some SICK (in the
head) people who are actually rooting for a pandemic because it would hurt
Trump’s re-election chances.
Now, this changes the plan to finish the 50-state challenge
in 2020. My race will NOT offer any
refunds but will give deferred entries for 2021. That’s probably what I’ll do. It’s possible that I could find another
Maryland race in the Fall that would only require a flight to Baltimore with no
rental car or even a 10.5 hour drive to the western part of the state but my
heart was set on either Salisbury or Ocean City because I spent a summer in
that area and went on family vacations as a child to Virginia Beach. There is a chance that an early May race in
Ocean City will go off as planned so that could be an option. Odds are, I’ll just take the deferral and
finish next year.
I still want to do something BIG for the year that I turn
40. I could still go to Hawaii in
November as planned but it would be state #48 or #49 then I finish up in either
Maryland or Minnesota next year. That
will not feel nearly as special as #50 in Hawaii. Option B is to book a trip with Marathon
Tours and Travel to Cape Town, South Africa in October. There, the race would be a 10K because there
is no half marathon and I am not in shape for a full. Cape Town has long been on my bucket list and
I’d like to do it sooner rather than later.
South Africa has begun instituting policies that were disastrous in
Zimbabwe, so I don’t have a good feeling about that nation’s future. As stated in a previous post, things can turn
around to make countries more appealing for tourists, but it can also get
worse. I’m leaning towards Option
B. South Africa in 2020 and Hawaii in
2021. Hopefully, I can still hit Maine,
South Dakota and possibly Minnesota after the coronavirus is contained. Either way, I will make no definitive plans
until that happens.
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