Illinois is doing well with managing the pandemic. Our testing continues to grow and identify current, active cases of the virus. Our number also show a declining number of new cases, and a gently falling death count from existing cases. Our hospital and ICU capacities are doing well.
Of course the Black Lives Matter protests and rioting caused tens of thousands of people to mingle closely for over two weeks and counting. The head count could be hundreds of thousands; I’m not sure who has data on such numbers for Illinois. The point is not the final count but rather the effect felt in COVID case management. Will there be a spike of infections? Will a second wave of the pandemic be ignited?
No one knows. We have to sit and let whatever happens happen. Like much of life, there is no crystal ball that tells the tale. Only actual statistics, and then with care to get it right.
It takes 6 to 14 days to measure a rise in infection rates. We have a few days yet to wait to determine if public protests and gatherings will have caused a spike in COVID cases.
Meanwhile, authorities have continued their well-honed routine of data gathering, checkpoints, social distancing, face masks, and research on treatment, vaccines and related medicines.
Our collective breath cannot be released until we are certain we have beat the monster. For the long term we really need a vaccine and more effective drugs for treatment. Then we will have defeated the virus and we can hope it will not morph into more and more exotic strains.
Now is not the time to let down our guard. Keep the faith. Keep doing what we have been doing. Contain the spread of the virus and watch out for each other. I have confidence good news will be ours soon!
This is not a political issue. It is a public policy health and safety issue.
June 12, 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment