Morning statistics – Alexandria – Is Kim Jong-un still alive? – Symptoms of the virus – Florida beaches – A solicitous father – Local elections postponed for two weeks – Death of a phlebotomist – The race against time to transport a son to see his father’s last days – Reminiscence of my father’s passing – Evening statistics
Today’s statistics as of 7:00 AM — # of cases worldwide: 2,846,467; # of deaths worldwide: 197,855; # of cases U.S.: 925,758; # of deaths U.S.: 52,217.
I went to Alexandria today. It has been months since I’ve last seen it. The riverbank has been built up to an astonishing degree. The residences extend nearly all the way to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Several people were out but in general were behaving well with respect to the social distancing guidelines. The Farmers’ Market was open, to my surprise. It was modified from the usual setup, of course. In order to make purchases, customers had to do so in advance online, and then go to the market itself to pick up their orders.
I can’t help wondering what will become of areas such as Alexandria. There are numerous river towns that have built up charming clusters of small independent shops and restaurants, interspersed with walkways that are often decorated with hanging baskets of flowers. Even after the restrictions imposed by the virus are lifted, it seems to me that people’s shopping habits will alter. Already ordering online has become more and more common, and small independent shops are less busy than they were in earlier days. I earnestly hope I am wrong, but I can’t help thinking that the only stores that will survive are the ones that belong to large chains that have the resources to tide their outlets over during slack periods.
Rumors continue to fly about the health of Kim Jong-un. April 25th is the celebration of the birth of the nation’s revolutionary army, but he was not present at any of the ceremonies. His last public appearance was on April11th – two weeks ago. There is speculation that he has undergone heart surgery. China has sent a delegation, with some medical experts in attendance, to try to find out more. Kim Jong-un has no designated heir, and his death could trigger a major upheaval in the country. China has ample reason to value stability in its neighbor: a civil war there could end up in driving millions of refugees across the border, most of them malnourished and in poor health. (NOTE: an update from later in the day – the report now is that Kim’s surgery was performed as an emergency procedure after he had a heart attack, that the surgery was botched, and that his hopes of recovery are poor. It is even possible that he is dead by now.)
More symptoms have been listed to determine whether or not one has the virus. Previously the only ones agreed upon were shortness of breath, fatigue, a dry cough, and fever. Now chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell have been added to the criteria. Even those who have recovered have painful stories to tell. One has reported that she basically had to learn again how to walk; another that he had train himself to breath normally. Others have been more fortunate, escaping with mild symptoms similar to those of the flu for two weeks or so.
More beaches are opening in Florida. This measure may be less risky than previously thought. Studies have suggested that the virus is caught from being indoors with other people and that it is transmitted much less readily outdoors. But the studies are tentative and even their authors stress that it would be premature to rely on them just yet.
A strange variant of the story of Lot and his daughters is being acted out on the Internet. One father was the sole caregiver of his daughter after his wife died in labor. When she became an adult she moved out to live with her boyfriend, but this relationship floundered and she returned to her father. She then discovered that she was pregnant. Three months after her pregnancy was diagnosed, she fell into melancholy and took to spending a great deal of time alone in her room, prompting her father to install a video surveillance camera. Surely, one would think, talking to her directly would have been a more effective way of dealing with the issue, to say nothing of its being less costly. However, the camera was installed, and presently he discovered that she was masturbating a great deal. The concern that her sexual needs were not being met, so he claims, prompted him to initiate a relationship with her that greatly exceeds the limits customarily observed between parent and child. She complied, apparently quite willingly, and she has even expressed her wish to have a second child with him after she has delivered the first. Child abuse of this nature is not exactly a novelty, of course; what makes this particular instance odd is that the father had no hesitation in describing it quite openly on the Reddit news aggregation. Even if that unfortunate young woman is ever to disentangle herself from this obscene predator, she will probably be mentally unhinged for years to come. There seems to be no opportunity of removing her from his clutches, since he is hiding under a pseudonym. One can only hope that sooner or later his dissolute habits catch up with him. Where is the coronavirus when you truly need it?
Local elections have been moved, but not to November as originally suggested. The election date has been changed from May 5th to May 19th, and votes already entered by absentee ballot remain valid. Governor Northam has urged everyone to use absentee balloting.
Deborah Gatewood, a phlebotomist at Beaumont Hospital in Detroit, displayed symptoms of the virus on March 18th. During the space of five days, as her symptoms were becoming more severe, she attempted four times to get tested for the virus but was denied each time. On March 27th she was discovered by her daughter, barely conscious. Gatewood’s daughter and son-in-law drove her to a hospital, having the sense to select one that was more responsive. But it was too late. When she was checked in, she already had a fever of 106 degrees. Even though she was tended with care and intubated for two weeks, her kidneys began to fail. She died on April 20th. Gatewood had worked at Beaumont for 31 years, but she could not prevail on them to allow her to be tested, although symptoms were becoming increasingly obvious with each successive visit. If this is how the hospital treats its long-term employees when they fall ill, one can imagine what their reception of their other patients must be like. But the hospital is probably typical of the Detroit hospitals at large. I hope and trust that when the ravages of the virus are over, people will flee in droves from this disintegrating city.
I have had more news from CC. Her husband’s end is soon approaching. It is always sad to see a loved one slowly dying before your eyes, but in this case the restrictions imposed by the virus make matters even worse. One son is now racing up to Brooklyn to bring the other son back with him. Pray Heaven that they will be back in time to see his last moments.
When my father died I was with friends in central Virginia, and my brother, who was visiting my parents at the time, bore the brunt of the burden. It was he who checked my father into the hospice and when I called to ask whether I should hasten back, he said that there was nothing I could do and that I might as well adhere to my original schedule and stay where I was. Indeed, had I driven back at the utmost speed I would have been too late; my father died the day after he was checked into the hospice. So I was spared the sight of my father’s dying before my eyes and it is doubtful that I could have offered any comfort had I been present – but I regret all the same that my brother had to deal on his own with contacting the funeral home and making the last arrangements.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM — # of cases worldwide: 2,917,552; # of deaths worldwide: 203,119; # of cases U.S.: 959,143; # of deaths U.S.: 54,228. The U.S. is now accounting about one-third of the virus cases and one-quarter of the deaths. The incidence rate has shot ahead those of France and the U.K. Virginia has had 772 new cases today, the highest increase yet. The death toll is nearly 6,000 in New Jersey and nearly 22,000 in New York.