A Slow Motion Disaster

Most of the events discussed on this page have a fairly strong geographical component, in that if you're not literally in "harm's way," you're likely unaffected--at least directly.  Mitigation, in most circumstances, can be relocating to a safer area.  But what if there is no true "safe area?"   What if the event can affect you regardless of where you live?  At this moment, the world--yes, the entire world--is facing such a threat in the spread of the COVID-19 virus ("Coroniavirus"). 

A snapshot taken today of the epidemic's dashboard (link here, from Johns Hopkins University) looks like this:

The lettering in red displays the total number of confirmed cases worldwide, with the real tragic statistic being the number in white.  Over 3,000 people have lost their lives to the disease in this outbreak. And the virus is spreading around the world.  Here in the US, where two individuals have lost their lives, families, business, and communities are preparing to meet the virus head-on.  Compared to the usual natural events that bring destruction and death to our country (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc.), the spread of a virus is somewhat slow and insidious in its approach.  The good news is that we then have time to prepare.

So how should we prepare? What should we be doing?  The US Government (the Centers for Disease Control or CDC) provides useful an explanation of the key issues surrounding the spread of the virus and offers excellent advice for families, schools, businesses and health care workers at their web page.  The multi-faceted activities of the CDC to protect the nation and our communities is particularly interesting, as it involves a multi-disciplinary approach among a large number of Federal agencies, as illustrated in this infographic on the CDC web page.

The actions of communities, on the other hand, depend on a lot of factors. The site includes the following statement:  "Decisions about the implementation of community measures will be made by local and state officials, in consultation with federal officials as appropriate, and based on the scope of the outbreak and the severity of illness.  Implementation will require extensive community engagement, with ongoing and transparent public health communications."

That said, the bottom line comes down to individual actions (taken at the family, school and corporate level) that will help limit vulnerability to the contagion within our communities.  And some of the advice is pretty basic. It sometimes sounds like the things we'd do to protect ourselves from the flu.  The site includes the following statement:

Americans should be prepared for the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak in their community. The community can take measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Everyone has a role to play in getting ready and staying healthy.  Currently a vaccine is not available for COVID-19. Until a vaccine is developed, community-based interventions such as school dismissals, event cancellations, social distancing, and creating employee plans to work remotely can help slow the spread of COVID-19.  Individuals can practice everyday prevention measures like frequent hand washing, staying home when sick, and covering coughs and sneezes. 

The site then directs the reader to the specific suggestions for individuals, schools, businesses and health care workers. In the short term, it appears that planning, effective communication and preparation are the most useful tools we have available.