At the end of Feb, what did you think things would look like a month later? I doubt any of us would have guessed exactly right, even those of us who knew things were going to get wild.
Nerd ms spock here (as if the name doesn't say that in flashing lights) In February we started stockpiling enough food and resources for 3 months. We got all our shopping in a couple of weeks before the paniked shopping - and cringes - the extra transmission happening in those situation made my blood run cold. It's the privilege of being part of Scientific & Technological groups. Then we went to approximately 3 - 6 months in early March, well watching 4 corners kind of really brought it home.
Now we are putting in vegetable gardens because (barring a vaccine coming in quickly) it's 6-12 months. This was talking to a doctor friend, a bunch of scientists friends I have known for years, my friend that who studied microbiology and also all the reading & then watching Australians crowding in groups to go to special elderly shopping sessions - if one person had it then they all do - the long Centrelink lines with no social distancing - it's a goner. Our Prime Minister kept having press briefings saying that there was monitoring and everyone who came back from overseas said - nope nada. Last Sunday no one was there they just walked through and a couple of times during last week. Even commerical TV stations went and filmed no set up in place.
Some of my friend's relatives came back on the Ruby Princess Cruise and finally I heard that actually people went in to quarantine. So that's three months of no action, despite everything that was on the World Health Organisation has on it's website, the heartbreaking pleas to take action from the Italians not to make their mistakes, and so forth. If information that recently came to hand about a letter written to our Prime Minister in November is actually true then that's 5 months of no action but I need verification before I discuss that.
Then there's the set up and preparation from the private schools and businesses. Private schools were holding meetings in January to get the technology set up for at home social distancing education even before "social distancing" was a term in common parlance. In February private schools were doing tests of education with teachers via a range of devices, with students at home. They were setting in for the long haul. Same with some businesses - I thought hmmmmmmmmmmmm. If you weren't in Scientific, Technological, Medical or Private School or a small section of the business section, and you only heard the PM, you wouldn't have any idea was going on. Tomorrow it will be two weeks since the PM stopped telling people it was okay to go to the footy, restaurants & out with friends. Folks that only heard that message have a huge vulnerability. Education will determine survival and wealth will determine survival.
I tried to warn folks and it was a fruitless and pointless endeavour that left me feeling disillusioned and friendless in some circles. However other friends sent articles. let me know what our doctor friend who is going nuts because immediate quarantine and testing would have prevented all of this, and I though it's for the long haul. Other folks letting me know they were in shut down and I said yeah since February in lockdown. And they were impressed and one said how do you stand it and I think you are a doctor's partner who gives advice on some things - so she's not looking forward to so much time with her partner. He's brilliant and writes novels and they are renovating their house so I hope that keeps them busy. I have reached out to some folks I presume would be locking down. But mostly other than the stress of not infecting B and crunching the numbers - I thought it would be 20 million - 600 million fatalities but no it's 25 million - 700 million, I got irrationally angry at the person who explained it to me online. It's just so many people. And we do have the technologies with Pandemic Offices and so for around the world. Even a drunken half competent Prime Minister who just read out WHO press releases could have at least impressed on folks how important socially distancing is rather than back flipping and give double, triple etc messages. That could have saved a lot of lives.
I have a friend that did the Ebola modeling on the range of transmission and he was right on the money. And I remember listening to them working it out, and I haven't talked to him because I really don't want to know but then I do.
This is why all the experts say, “This is a rapidly developing situation.”
And I am mostly not in PTSD, I am just in stunned mullet mode. Wishing I could do more for folks.
Give it a day and it will change. The end of April isn’t going to look like what we expect. The numbers of dead peaking in two weeks may change things in a myriad of ways.
I think you, sadly, are right, and that is what worries me.
