“What remains in diseases after the crisis is apt to produce relapses.” ― Aphorisms
By Glen Reaux
America is facing its most dire crisis in over one hundred years. The last such existential threat of this magnitude was the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. While many believe that the Great Depression of 1929 had a far worse impact on the nation, the fact remains, the Spanish flu killed more people. The basic tenets of humanity state that human life is invaluable. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States.“ (1) As of the time that this article was started, in the United States 986,606 people were confirmed as infected and 55,439 people had died. These deaths amount to 8.2% of the total U.S. deaths from the 1918 pandemic, which occurred over a three-year period-of-time. The current death toll has taken place in only two months. When the current death toll is extrapolated over a period of three years, it equals 997,902 deaths, basically 47.88% more than that of the 1918 pandemic. Despite this alarming death toll and the fact that according to the CDCs own data which shows that the infection rate is rising, self-proclaimed “Big Brain” Donald Trump is still doing everything in his power to kill more Americans by re-opening the nation’s economy. So, is now the time for you to think about developing a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Survival Guide” for your own protection and that of your friends and loved ones?
If you are suffering from indecision or doubt because of a belief in Donald Trump or his administration, it’s time to put your doubts into proper context. On April 16th, nine days ago, Trump provided the nation with a so-called plan and guidelines for the re-opening of the nation’s economy. He announced the infection curve had flattened and new virus cases were on the decline. But when the CDC data from April 16th is compared to the data from the 25th of April, just 9 days later, Trump’s declarations are found to be untrue. Both the infection rate and the death rates are on the rise.
April 16, 2020 infections – 661,712
April 25, 2020 infections – 928,619
Total infection increase–266,907 or 40% over a 9-day period-of-time
Are you still doubtful about creating your own survival guide? Maybe this video can help you make up your mind.
President Trump has a very loyal base of supporters and many of them believe every word that comes out of his mouth. In response to Trump’s promotion of the drug chloroquine as a cure for COVID-19, a couple poisoned themselves by drinking fish tank cleaner. On March 25, 2020, the Pharmacy Practice News reported:
“Self-medication by a Phoenix-area couple in their 60s with chloroquine phosphate in the mistaken belief the additive, commonly used by aquariums to clean fish tanks, was a prophylactic for COVID-19 resulted in the husband’s death and his spouse in critical care, according to officials.
Within 30 minutes of taking chloroquine phosphate, the couple began suffering side effects that required admission to a nearby Banner Health hospital, said officials at the acute care center.
Daniel E. Brooks, MD, the medical director of the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, said the hospital was informed the couple took “at least a couple of days’ worth of normal dosing” of chloroquine phosphate as a preventive agent against COVID-19.” (3)
Following Trump’s comments promoting the use of household cleaners to fight the virus, poison control centers around the country began to get an increase in calls that centered on the President’s suggestions. Governor Hogan of Maryland and Governor Whitmire of Michigan actually appeared on national television stating that their states poison control centers had increased calls because of the President’s remarks and to plead with their constituents not to follow the President’s suggestions.
In support of the President’s rhetorical COVID-19 policies and suggestion that disinfectants could be injected into the bodies of American citizens to fight the virus, on April 24th, Vice President Mike Pence stated:
“I truly do believe that if we all continue to do that kind of social distancing and other guidance broadly from federal and state officials, that we’re going to put this coronavirus in the past… I believe by early June we’re going to see our nation largely past this epidemic. “I think honestly, if you look at the trends today, that I think by Memorial Day weekend we will have this coronavirus epidemic behind us,”(2)
Based upon the current advice being offered by the Trump administration and its disinformation campaign targeting the re-opening of the nation’s economy, should you be developing a COVID-19 survival guide? Still not convinced? Do you believe Mike Pence and that in less than a month the virus won’t be an issue?
In 2016, the Obama administration National Security Agency developed a “Playbook” to provide guidance and strategies needed by the nation in the event of a pandemic. The Trump administration has ignored all the guidelines laid out in the book. Trump frequently in national broadcasts claimed that his administration could not have foreseen the coronavirus pandemic. “Nobody ever expected a thing like this,” have been his claims.
If they followed the playbook, Trump could have prevented or curtailed the severity of the current pandemic. Officially titled, “Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents, but known colloquially as “the pandemic playbook,” the 69-page document provides the following information which has been ignored by the Trump administration:
- “The U.S. government will use all powers at its disposal to prevent, slow, or mitigate the spread of an emerging infectious disease threat.”
- “The American public will look to the U.S. government for action when multi-state or other significant events occur.”
- A “unified message” on the federal response, in order to best manage the American public’s questions and concerns.”
- “Early coordination of risk communications through a single federal spokesperson is critical,”
- “While each emerging infectious disease threat will present itself in a unique way, a consistent, capabilities-based approach to addressing these threats will allow for faster decisions with more targeted expert subject matter input from federal departments and agencies.”
- “We recommend early budget and financial analysis of various response scenarios and an early decision to request supplemental funding from Congress if needed.”
The playbook provides different strategies for policymakers based on the severity of the crisis and provides lessons learned based on past outbreaks. The playbook has a special section devoted to addressing 34 “key questions” and 21 “key decisions” based upon the discovery of a “credible COVID-19 coronavirus case which was identified in early-to-mid January when it devastated China. The first U.S. case was diagnosed on January 20th. Trump could have saved thousands of lives and mitigated the damage to the economy if not for his hatred of President Obama.
If you still need convincing, would a threat to your ability to put food on your table convince you? David Beasley, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme reported the UN Security on Thursday, April 23rd, “This is truly more than just a pandemic – it is creating a hunger pandemic… This is a humanitarian and food catastrophe.” COVID-19 is having a dramatic impact on the nation’s food supply. Famine may be on the horizon and this administration is doing nothing to prevent it.
A June 6, 2015 report titled “How resilient is the United States’ food system to pandemics?”(3) paints a dire picture for the immediate future. According to the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences study:
“The model reveals that a severe pandemic with greater than a 25% reduction in labor availability can create significant and widespread food shortages. The Ebola epidemic that began in 2014 has caused severe food shortages in West Africa, which are like the effects that this model predicts in the USA. The likely effects of the reduction in the amount of available food are difficult to specifically predict; however, it is likely to have severe negative consequences on society. The resilience of the food system must be improved against this hazard and others.”
The data is conclusive. More than a change in your lifestyle is at stake. The report is a short 11-page read.
How-resilient-is-the-US-food-system-to-pandemics-huff
On April 27th, John Tyson of Tyson Foods, the nation’s leading producer of pork and chicken products, stated that the nation’s food chain is breaking. In the past two weeks Tyson Foods, the owner of Smithfield foods has closed 4 processing facilities because of the coronavirus and more are on the way. In early April, JBS, one of the country’s largest beef processors, closed a plant employing 6,000 workers because of the virus.
After reading the evidence provided in this report, you are probably wondering, what is a survival guide, and what needs to go into it? A survival guide is just that, a plan to survive during a crisis. This guide must be personal and tailored to your specific needs. Only you can develop a plan for your survival and that of your loved ones. However, there are basics that need to be addressed by everyone. Here are just a few of those things.
PLAN – Have a written plan governing day-to-day activities include emergency contingencies. Establish laws for your household to keep everyone safe. Enforce those laws. Tough love is better than death.
MEDICINE – 3 months’ supply of prescription medications and vitamins
FOOD – 6 months’ supply: rice, beans, lentils, cereal, flour, pasta, nuts, candy, canned milk, vegetables, meats, and fish. Buy freeze-dried food from disaster preparedness suppliers. Buy vitamin supplements to maintain good nutrition.
FROZEN FOODS – Invest a few hundred dollars in a stand-alone freezer and stock up on meat and frozen vegetables.
OTHER SUPPLIES – Stockpile, household cleaners, soap, and lots of bleach. A few drops of bleach in a gallon of water will disinfect surfaces. Rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide is cheap and in great supply for now. If toilet paper is out of stock, baby wipes will work and are actually cheaper. Replenish first aid supplies. Have several masks for each person in the household. Surgical gloves are in short supply. However, Home Depot, Lowes, auto supply stores sell re-usable nitrile work gloves at very reasonable prices. Unlike the disposable surgical gloves, these can be cleaned with hand sanitizer or soap and water.
The virus is here and contrary to Trump’s so-called beliefs and rhetoric, it’s not going anywhere, anytime soon. Things are only get worse for the foreseeable future. Your chances for surviving this crisis get dimmer the longer you wait to develop your survival plan.
When I started writing this article this morning, these were the COVID-19 statistics for the US.
April 25, 2020 infections – 928,619
At 8:00 PM, April 27, 2020 these are the COVID-19 statistics for the US
April 27, 2020 infections – 661,712 – 1,008,571 infections, deaths – 56,521
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Linked Sources and Documentation
- CDC quote: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-pandemic-h1n1.html
- Bloomberg Article, Mike Pence: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-24/pence-says-coronavirus-outbreak-could-be-over-by-memorial-day
- Pharmacy Practice News: https://www.pharmacypracticenews.com/Covid-19/Article/03-20/Man-Dies-Wife-Hospitalized-From-Ingesting-Fish-Tank-Cleaner-to-Prevent-COVID-19/57707
Copyright © 2020 Glen Reaux, all rights reserved
