A
Second Wave…
There
is a lot of talk this week about a possible second wave of Covid-19. New
infections or increases in rates of infection are apparently being seen in
China (in the locality where it all started), South Korea (the most successful
country to control the virus) and Germany (whose vigorous testing program kept
the cases to manageable numbers). The fear is certainly beginning to spread –
as shown by the stock markets at least.
It
seems more likely that, because most countries put in place aggressive programs
and restrictions to public contact, they succeeded in only flattening the curve
(that is, reducing the rate at which cases spread) of the first wave. We are
probably still in the first wave. It has just been tamped down due to all the
attention on testing and controls on spreading. Flattening the curve does not
mean eradicating the infection; it just means spreading out the cases and
deaths over a longer period so as not to overwhelm our healthcare system.
The
slowdown in infection rates has, of course, prompted more people to ask for – make
that demand – that restrictions on working and congregating be lifted.
Governments, as they are wont to do when voters or prospective voters start
speaking loudly, begin to cave in and loosen their restraints. All over the
world now, lockdown rules are being eased, even though infection numbers are
still growing (over 71,000 cases in Canada right now and arguable as to whether
we have reached the peak in some provinces).
Opening
the economy is not a bad idea, and one that is inevitable in any circumstance.
There are not enough resources, even for governments who love to borrow and
spend, to keep people at home and pay them to do nothing for very long. And
because this particular virus hits the oldest citizens the hardest, especially
those who are trapped in institutions (also called extended care or assisted
living facilities) from which they cannot physically escape, the majority of
(younger) people are not as severely impacted and are going to want to get back
to living their lives.
Diane
Francis, in her newspaper column Tuesday, called for allowing for changes that
would end lockdowns while protecting society’s vulnerable. She states: “that
the best course of action would be to reopen the economy, while continuing to
isolate those over the age of 65 and people who have underlying health conditions.”
Who is going to argue with that?
Listen,
you can only pay attention to the old folks for a limited time. After a while
you have to go back to ignoring us and get on with working and raising a
family.
Senicide
has been said to be a real phenomenon in the past. The story of ‘Eskimos’
putting their old people out on the ice to die during exceptionally harsh times
such as during famines, did apparently happen, but it was very rare. It is more
likely that old people sacrificed themselves for their community when food was
in very short supply, so that the younger people cold survive.
Modern
society does not do that anymore – let the old people go quietly and willingly.
We use our marvelous medical knowhow to prolong life, whether or not the old people
want it prolonged (you might look up the terms senilicide and invalidicide,
too). We keep many of them in those aforementioned institutions, in bodies that
do not function well, with minds that have ceased to operate coherently and
often past the point where anyone will listen to their pleas to let them go –
or help them go.
As
long as we (my older generation) can live at home, even with a plethora of
increasingly numerous maladies, we will be left to our own devices. There are
no major government programs in place during this current pandemic to assist
elders who can continue to care for themselves. The feds did, though, decide
this week to give us $300. As my wife would say, “Whoop-de-doo!”
I
don’t disagree with Diane Francis’s idea about getting people back to work and
keeping older people protected, although we should be careful that does not result
in something close to that senicide theory I described. Inevitably this virus,
or some other one, may be carried back to us older people, by our relatives or
caregivers – if we have to have them – or our systems will give up on their
own, and we will succumb. It’s just the way things work.
What
we really want is for our children and grandchildren to live as happily and as
long as possible and not be burdened by having to care for us or feel guilty
that they do have their own lives to be responsible for.
So…People…get
back to doing what you should be and want to be doing but do it carefully (the
word for the day). Don’t ignore us but take care of yourselves. You must still
be mindful that things like Covid-19 is unforgiving and may decide to
concentrate its deadly attack on the young. We are not out of the woods yet,
nor is Covid-19 under control, nor – as I stated at the start of this post – is
the first wave likely finished with us.
As
Sergeant Phil Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) on Hill Street Blues said many years
ago (us older people remember him), “Let’s be careful out there.”
Oh,
and please keep your distance and wash your hands!
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