The Mystery

Welcome to the middle of April and our continuing quarantine.  There's been something mysterious happening during our coronavirus months. 

The biggest mystery of all.  

The tests.  Or I rather,

the lack of tests.

Coronavirous spread officially began in America on Jan. 21st when the first case was reported in the U.S.   

That was 12 weeks ago.  

Eighty-five days ago.

This is what it looked like in my yard in January.

Followed by more snowy days in February and all the while there were thousands of more coronavirus cases. 

 Twenty-nine February days this year.

The CDC announced on Feb. 12th that it's diagnostic test did not work.  The only testing allowed for Covid-19 had to be done through the CDC.  It took a week or more to get test results, that is, IF you met the stringent guidelines for testing.  

Nevermind that the virus could be asymptomatic.  Meaning, you could have it with few or no symptoms. 

Remember February?

At the Coronavirus daily press briefings, we were promised over and over that testing would be expanded.  There would be millions of tests.  Eventually, everyone could get tested if they wanted a test.   The turn-around time to get test results would be shortened from more than a week to 15 minutes.

There would be testing made available via joint efforts with Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and even in Target parking lots.  

None of this has happened.  

In the U.S. we haven't even tested 2 million people. 

There are 328.2 million people in America.

It's now the middle of April.  Where are the tests? 

Day after day there have been very long, repetitive, "press briefings".  

A lot of promises were made. Where is the action? Where are the ventilators?  Where's the PPE? Where's the support for the doctors and nurses and all those people on the front lines?   

I see stories about local people everywhere doing everything they can to help each other out.  They are sewing masks and gowns, donating to food banks, making sanitizer, buying takeout meals from restaurants.  Doctors and nurses are traveling to hard hit areas to help out.  Heros everywhere.

Where is OUR federal government?

The latest excuse for the lack of planning and response in this pandemic is:  "We're only here for backup."

Backup?  While thousands of Americans are dying?  Dying alone.  Without any family member present.  

Dying alone in nursing homes.  Worse yet, those dying in nursing homes seem to be just tossed off to the side.  They're in a nursing home so we just ignore the fact that the virus is there and many will die.  

Backup?

Wait a minute!  The federal government works for us.  That includes the president.  He doesn't rule over us, he works for us.

We pay them. All of them.  Every employee.  It's our money, our taxes, that keeps this country moving.  

The federal government is not backup.  Do your job!  Everyone else is doing their job and even more!


Now the president says he is going to open the economy back up.   What is the plan?  How do we open back up without knowing who has had the virus?  Without a plan for contact tracing? Without a plan for antibody testing?

Where are the tests?

It seems to me that we are just like these two trains in Hope yesterday.  One waiting on the mainline and one on the siding.  It usually means there is a big problem somewhere.   We are waiting.  We have been waiting for 85 days.

Unfortunately, while we are waiting for OUR federal government to do something, people are dying. 

23,000+ Americans  

Eighty-five days....

More than 17 million Americans have filed for unemployment. 

Right now America is hopelessly backed up all the way down the line.   

I don't know how to solve the mystery.  I'm just the average American quarantined at home, watching the news and doing what I can. I don't have the power to solve this mystery, but someone, somewhere does. 

Scientists around the world are researching and working overtime to find a safe, effective treatment and best of all, a vaccine.   Science, facts and data are the only thing that will get us out of this mess.  Hunches and gut feelings don't count.

When the economic engine does start back up, it will be a long, slow process before it's up to full speed.  Americans will need to know that they are safe to return to work, to return to school, to shop in the grocery store or anywhere else.  

Americans did their part.  We shut down and we stayed home.  Our schools and businesses are shut down.  We wear masks in public.  We practice social distancing.  

No more excuses. 

Now get us the testing.