Update from Covid-Central, aka Cooper Country
Since the world seems to be freaking out about the Covid-19 virus, I thought I share a perspective on what is happening here.
To begin, the epicenter of the outbreak in Washington is the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, which is about ten miles northeast of downtown, and about sixty miles due north of me in Eatonville. In Kirkland, the hot spot is a nursing home-type of facility for seniors. Many of those residents have Covid-19, and about a dozen have died as of this morning. Overall, fourteen deaths have been reported in WA as of this afternoon.
Oddly, there is nothing being mentioned in the media about "regular" flu, aka "Seasonal Flu," which kills 18,000 Americans on average each year. That's about 300 deaths in Washington every year. So the anxiety over Covid-19 is exceptional, I think. But it's very real. The UW closed its campus today - and that's something like 50,000 students over four campuses.
Interestingly, the City of Auburn, home of RMB, is shutting down all public gathering places, too, such as movie theaters. Auburn is halfway between me and Kirkland, so it's not that close to where folks are ill with Covid-19. Not sure why Auburn is taking this step.
No cases nor deaths have been reported in Tacoma and points south, such as Vancouver, WA.
VP Pence was in town yesterday, and he basically gave everyone a pep talk. But the feds are sending in a super-duper relief team to the Kirkland nursing home - 30 docs plus RNs and techs, so the regular staff, some of whom have tested positive, can go home presumably. Also, many residents are being sent home on a case-by-case basis with lots of supplemental in-home care provided by WA State health agencies.
In addition, about half of the Kirkland Fire and Rescue Department are reported to be home on voluntary two-week isolation due to their many exposures at the local nursing home. I'm assuming that adjoining districts are sharing the extra load of emergency responses. Speaking of which, 911 dispatchers now ask if the callers are experiencing flu-like symptoms, such as fevers, coughs and sneezes.
The overall mood of folks around here is a "wait and see" attitude, and the global anxiety is a bit surprising to me - airplanes flying at one-third capacity, etc. But there are enough outbreaks, such as Italy and South Korea, to add substance to that urgency.
On a personal level, I'm living my usual routine, but when I'm in public I'm washing my hands frequently - basically after I touch anything that is in common usage, such as a door handle. I'm not wearing a mask since I'm not coughing or sneezing, nor do I see anyone else wearing one. After years of asthma and dealing with forest fire smoke I have four different types of masks, ranging from N-95 particulate masks to a dual-stage respirator. So, I'm ready in that regard, but I know they only provide a degree of safety - not actual 100% safety. So, I keep my distance from people, and avoid large, crowded gatherings, such as casinos, bus stations, theaters.
I went to Tacoma last night for a musical gig and rush-hour traffic on the I-5 at 5:30 pm was really light, akin to 8 am on a Sunday, so folks are staying home.
