Morning statistics – Bright spots – More limitations on hiking – Variations in localities of grocery shopping – An attempt at using a face mask – Evening statistics
At 7:00 AM the statistics are: # of cases worldwide – 480,446; # of deaths worldwide – 21,571; # of cases in U. S. – 69,197; # of deaths – 1,046. In Italy the mortality rate is far higher – over 10%. And more than 0.1% of the entire population of the nation has been affected by the virus. About a tenth of those affected have occurred amongst the medical care workers, aggravating the crisis.
There are some bright spots. The number of active cases in China continues to go down as more and more people are recovering there. In South Korea, similarly, the incidence of the virus seems to be stabilizing. It is expanding in both Africa and South America, but more slowly than in the Northern Hemisphere, perhaps on account of the higher temperatures at this time of year. At this point the U.S. and Europe appear to be the main concentration of contagion.
Some modifications to the hikes with the Vigorous Hikers group: no carpooling (that was in force already), no hikes that involve shuttles, no newcomers (in order to keep the head count low), no hikes in especially popular areas such as Old Rag or Whiteoak Canyon, everyone keeps their distance from one another at breaks and at lunch stops.
Also, park service personnel have asked hikers to adhere to the less strenuous or at any rate the less risky hikes. This is not a good time to be injured while hiking on the trails. Our medical services are over-burdened as it is.
When I went shopping today I reflected that I’m really very well-off in comparison with many others – certainly many others of my age. I went on foot to the Oriental supermarket, which is more than two miles away, picked up what I needed, and walked back. To begin with, many of my contemporaries seem to have difficulty walking more than a mile on end. Long life to the hiking clubs I’ve joined and to the Wanderbirds in particular for encouraging me in the habit of staying active and not allowing adverse weather conditions to discourage me from venturing out of doors! Then, too, there are so many other stores to choose from: a Safeway, a Walmart, an Aldi, a Shopper’s Food Warehouse – all of them at a shorter distance from my house. I went to H-Mart because even when the supplies of the other stores continue to run low, it seems to have varieties of fresh produce in bewildering profusion – a profusion that’s bewildering to me, at any rate. How is it that they haven’t run short? There are a few items in short supply, of course – fewer varieties of fish than usual, and some types of cleaners are unobtainable; but on the whole, I’ve not had to cope with food shortages. I’m sure that other areas are less fortunate.
I tried using a bandana in lieu of a face mask on this walk. The experiment could not be called successful; when I placed it over my nose I could not breathe easily and when it covers the mouth only it provides little protection. It does work better within buildings, when I’m not moving quickly, so perhaps I should use it there.
At 6:00 PM the statistics are as follows: # of cases worldwide – 526,044; # of deaths worldwide – 23,709; # of cases in U. S. – 82,404; # of deaths – 1,178. In less than a day we’ve had an increase of 19% of cases and of 12.5% in deaths. For a long time China held the position of first place with regard to the number of cases, but we have managed to snatch those undesirable laurels from it.