*Original post was March 3, 2020, updates at bottom of page.
A need to reach out and connect regarding the Coronavirus:
I woke up this morning ready to write a different post that I had been planning in my head the past few days. But I feel very distracted, as I’m sure many of you do, no matter where you live. So, I decided to write this post instead, for today. We are certainly living in a time of uncertainty with the threat of the Coronavirus spreading around the globe. At my age, I have learned (or try to remember) not to stress too much over things I cannot control. But, I am a daughter, a sister, a mother and a wife, like many of you. And if not for ourselves, it’s hard not to worry about our loved ones.
At our age, if we are lucky enough to still have parents in our life, they are probably elderly. My mother is 91 years old. This Coronavirus seems to hit older adults particularly hard. My young adult kids are “out of the nest”, so not under my roof where I feel like I can take care of them. Thankfully, they are healthy, with no underlying medical conditions. I am trying not to text them too often to remind them to wash their hands. My husband is in and out of hospitals and care facilities all day with his job. So, of course, I worry a bit. I am not in a panic, but I worry about all of them. It’s human nature.
Remember to wash your hands And don’t touch your face, especially when out in public.
There’s not much we can really do, other than taking personal precautions, washing my hands frequently and not touching my face when I’m out in public. I did get a flu shot this past Fall. I imagine I may stay home a bit more, reading and streaming and away from crowded areas when I can. But, it can be frustrating not to take action. Sometimes acting can make you feel so much better. Will you make any changes?
One thing I thought of this morning was to put together a kind of sick day care package for my grown kids, just in case. They’re young, and don’t always have things on hand in their own home. I plan to include bleach wipes, hand sanitizer, Tylenol, cough drops, Vick’s VapoRub and maybe a can of soup. What am I leaving out? I will get these things when I go out to the store and ship it to them. Hopefully, I can find these things in stock. I’ve heard some items are hard to find already and I did go on Amazon this morning to have it all shipped but couldn’t find any wipes or hand sanitizer in stock.
How are things where you are?
This certainly won’t be an “evergreen” post. By the time most of you read this, the numbers, the statistics and the “knowns” may have changed. Right now, the consensus appears to be that that COVID-19 is slightly more deadly than the regular flu and more contagious. And of course, no one has been vaccinated against it. I will try to deal only in facts and not political judgements. But I keep wondering about lots of you, across this country and all over the world, and how things look where you are. So, in case you’re wondering, here is the view from here, today in Asheville, North Carolina (NC), USA. I will keep updating this post over the next few weeks, if needed. And I really do want to know your thoughts and concerns. Are you worried? What is the view like from where you are?
Coronavirus…The view from here Today
March 3 – The total cases in the US right now seems to stand at 106 across 15 states. We have had 6 deaths from the Coronavirus, all the deaths being reported in the state of Washington. We haven’t had a single case of COVID-19 reported in my state of NC, so far. I’m sure that will change. No schools are closing and nothing is stopping. The US is behind in testing, for reasons I am not sure of. But the expectation seems to be that the numbers will jump up soon, or when people begin being tested. Here is the link to the CDC and it’s information regarding Coronavirus (although they don’t seem to be updating the numbers in real time as of this writing). You may want to use this map from the New York Times for information in the US.
*Updates
March 13 – Here in NC we now have 15 cases. Zero in the town of Asheville, where I live. (US overall this morning, 1663 cases in 46 states and 41 deaths). Still not clear if testing is readily available, but doesn’t appear so. I was able to find toilet paper at my normal store no problem this week, but no hand sanitizer. I did find some last week to mail to my kids. Biggest change personally, has been the University of NC System. Spring Break (this week) has been extended another week and then they will go to remote learning. I know there’s anxiety around that and many questions. My son has a couple of credits that would require in-person meeting so he has a little anxiety over that and being able to graduate on time. I know school closings are a hard call to make. The state of NC has not cancelled public schooling for grades 1-12 as of yet. Other states have. Hope everyone is ok out there. Let me know how it’s going where you are.
March 20 – As of this afternoon US has 15,650 cases, 202 have died. North Carolina has 167 cases per The News & Observer this afternoon, zero in my county of Buncombe (so far). The county health dept. sent out a tweet today that there will be no drive-thru testing today, assume testing is still very limited country-wide. And that’s horrible news. Here in Asheville, NC I’ve been out and about a little earlier this week. Parking lot vet visit, bank drive thru (not allowed to go in anymore) and a grocery store run. A lot of businesses like pharmacies and vets nearby have started curbside service. The grocery store trip was ok.
The bread aisle was completely empty, produce dept. was fine but no frozen vegetables, meat dept. somewhat depleted but signs up in multiple dept. asking for customers to limit themselves to 2 (beef/chicken/paper products, etc.) I told the cashier we appreciate them. No restrictions on going out at this point but most shops/hairdressers/restaurants closed except for takeout or delivery. A lot of stress, uncertainty and anxiety all around. Hope everyone is hanging in there and healthy. Let me know how things are where you live.
March 24 – Whew, anxiety comes and goes. I’ve been staying in. My husband still working everyday in medical world. Doing what we can to stay safe. US cases climbing, as of this minute, according to The NY Times almost 50,000 cases at 49,619 with 615 deaths. My state of North Carolina has 475 cases now. My county reportedly has 3 cases but doesn’t look like that is an updated number for today. That’s more than double the number in about 2 days. No reported deaths so far. With still no large scale testing available, can’t imagine how high the numbers really are. We do not have a mandated stay-at-home order here. Not really sure what the federal govt. is doing to help at this point but our state is hanging in there. Hope everyone is safe and healthy in your family.
April 8 – Thank goodness Spring is here. In some weird way, I feel like I’m adapting to the new normal and it’s really nice to be able to get outside. According to the NY Times, the US stands at 397,700 cases (so, 400,000 later today) and over 12,000 deaths. The state of NC has 3,200 cases and 50 deaths with 33 cases in my county. I can only imagine the actual number of cases because there are over a hundred “presumed positive” cases at just our local hospital but not verified by test and thus not counted. As I noted on my Instagram page, it’s a roller coaster. One day I’m worried and anxious, and the next I’m managing. My sleep is terrible. My husband is still going out to work most days, my son is home doing “remote college”. And we’re all trying to be careful. A trip to the grocery store can feel nerve-racking. And my first attempt at wearing a mask was laughable, couldn’t keep my glasses from fogging up. But I came home and practiced for the next time. We are under a statewide stay-at-home-order. Needless to say, most businesses are shut down and traffic is light. We are still in uncharted territory here, no idea what the future holds. Do we look to the future and make plans? Or do we just hunker down and take it day by day? Like in everything it’s a balancing act, but I’m grateful every day for my family’s health. And my heart aches for those who are not so lucky and those that have lost their job and others that go in to work truly frightened every day. How are you doing where you are? Sending virtual hugs to all.
Thank you for this. Yes as a mother and sister and daughter and wife I worry too so I fully relate with your worry. I am trying to check in with myself and have perspective. Here in Canada we are 35 million with 28 cases. Canadian authorities have been doing a great job so far containing this. Our past experience with SARS years ago has paid off. No deaths so far and no clusters and many have fully recovered. For NOW things are calm. But here in our home I worry about my husband who is undergoing chemo. His immunity is not the same right now. My sister lives in Texas and my 73 and 76 year old healthy parents are in Florida. I wish they were closer. My husband and I have chosen to postpone international travel until we know more. We were going to travel to Ireland in June and do a river cruise in the fall to celebrate the end of John’s treatment. But there is too much uncertainty now. In the meantime I am up levelling my own immunity and my grown young adult kids’ with my trusted preferred brand USANA.. Lots of high quality supplementation, healthy food and lots of sleep. Especially for my 19 year old son who has asthma. He seems to be growing out of it but for sure he is more prone to respiratory issues. Thanks again for your post. Let’s keep in touch!
I find it helpful to connect. Thanks for your response. Just sent my daughter (24) who lives across the country a roll-on essential oil Fighting Five blend. Just makes me feel better, I guess. My son, who is 20 will be home from college for Spring Break next week, so I’m happy about that. I do worry about my husband most, with his EMT job. He does have RA, as well. Definitely, keep in touch.