I’ve been at home for at least a week now. And it still seems like the situation in NYC is going to get worse before it gets better.
The death toll continues to rise. And the dire situation seems to grow more dire by the moment.
It’s hard for me to come to grasp with these depictions of strife, suffering, and grief that has come along together with the coronavirus situation.
I read it in the news, with the death tolls in the USA surpassing 2,000 and the number of coronavirus cases up to 120,000 in the country as of this moment.
Dr. Fauci mentions that the death toll could rise to up to 100,000. So, I really don’t know what to think.
When I see the news, it’s all about grief, pain, and sickness dealt by the coronavirus. And I wish the health care workers on the frontline the best.
There is a reason why they are medical professionals and these days we view them as superheroes trying to deal with this pandemic.
A silver lining is that it feels like everyone is fighting a common enemy, so there is no need for petty squabbling among race, culture, religion, and people with different ideologies.
Let’s first deal with this virus, before we revert to our old ways of fighting over petty and insignificant things. It feels like this virus has actually reinforced our humanity, and to show that we are not invincible people.
There is no good and bad. There is no right and wrong. The virus comes for us all - regardless of how we perceive ourselves. We are all simply human in its eyes.
Despite all the negative press I’ve been reading about the corona virus, I don’t get any feeling of hatred and racism towards Asians when I do go out to buy groceries or run essential errands.
Again, no one has acted out against me for being Asian. It feels like there are also a lot of good news coming out regarding this situation.
Many famous people putting their money where their mouth is and donating to charity to help with the fight against the virus. Some charities that come across my mind include No Kid Hungry and City Harvest.
Stephon Marbury is trying to finalize a deal that would send a million N95 masks from China to New York. After all the negative press that he’s gotten while playing for the New York Knicks, it’s certainly a noble act.
Kyrie Irving donated $323,000 to City Harvest. Drew Brees donated $5 million to the city of New Orleans. Donations are coming in left and right from the rich and powerful.
It seems like this common humanity is within us all. Regardless of whether we are rich or poor, we are in this together. And I applaud those who donated their time and energy to the people who are most in need.
Those that our living off hourly paychecks. Those that were laid off because of the virus. Those that don’t have the financial resources to ride out this tidal wave of pain.
Even the government is stepping in to help with supplies, hospital beds, and ventilators. It seems like a dire time indeed for the city of New York.
But from my perch, I can’t feel this pain head-on thankfully. All I can do is be thankful of all the health care workers, Amazon workers, grocery store cashiers, pharmacists, and people who are on the frontlines of providing to the needy.
It’s tough, sometimes you want to help but you just don’t know what to do beyond simply sending some money to your local charities to help the needy.
So, it looks like this problem is going to get worse before it gets better. And the mitigation technique is to stay at home, observe proper hygiene, and socially distance from those around you when you do make your way outside for essential needs.
The news makes everything look so bad. But when I step outside, I don’t feel this pain firsthand. I see more people wearing masks, but it’s nowhere near an apocalyptic world that the news depicts.
Having said that though, I am grateful for being informed about the serious nature of this virus. It can transmit very easily from person-to-person if not careful. So, I need to take into account not just my own well-being, but my family’s well-being.
Socially distance for their sake. Stay home for their sake. Observe proper hygiene for their sake. That’s all I can do. Play my role given these tough circumstances.
It’s been a whirlwind for a couple of weeks. The news gets graver by the moment. But there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. And if we all play our parts as good community members, we will get thru this storm together.