2020: Not What We Expected

Yet another stock photo of a virus - thanks, Pixabay!

I am embarrassed by what I wrote two weeks ago. If only I knew just how quickly the tides would turn...

The truth is, we did know what was coming our way based on what we had seen out of China, Iran and Italy, but maybe we were ignorant or blissfully hopeful to think "this couldn't happen here."

Now here we are smack dab in the middle of a pandemic, panicking as our lives have been thrown into chaos. We are emptying shelves of toilet paper, posting every story we come across to our social media feeds and cancelling any plans we had made right through to the beginning of June. And as thousands of people around the world succumb to the virus, it's probably going to get a lot worse before we start climbing back up again.

But the one thing that still holds true from my last blog post - as someone who is cardiopulmonary-compromised, I am barely changing my hygiene habits because there wasn't much to alter in the first place. 

However, I have taken a few extra precautions as COVID-19 starts spreading across Toronto, Ontario and the rest of Canada. I am no longer taking public transit and I am using my car to get to work. I am wearing a mask out in public (while most doctors say it won't help, there are others that say it can so why not reduce the risk where I am able to?). I am not going to our condo gym where sweaty residents conveniently forget to wipe down the machines after using them. Finally, I have cancelled any get-togethers that involve a large number of people in a small space, and I will not see friends unless they have been mostly in self-isolation themselves - and only at one another's homes. 

What I can't wrap my head around is the hysteria that I am witnessing at all local stores, the stream of updates - many of them incorrect or fearmongering - on my Facebook feed and on the other side of the spectrum, those who are dismissing this as being "just like the flu."

That's where I was mistaken in my last post. This isn't anything like the flu. The death rate is much higher, from what we know. It seems to be spreading more easily. And it all keeps changing by the hour. Things are moving so quickly that no one I know can keep up. 

But in the midst of this scare, there are reasons to be hopeful. Schools in Ontario have been shut down until April 6. Other public institutions, such as libraries, are also closed to the public. Broadway and off-Broadway shows have been suspended for the time being. Pro-sports are taking an extra long break (the Toronto Raptors could remain the reigning NBA Champions for one more year!) and travel to other countries is being strongly discouraged, if not limited. All of these measures may not stop the spread, but they will certainly help to slow it. While it's scary having everything shut down, it's also comforting to know that public health officials are looking out for us and are doing everything in their power to keep us from falling ill. 

What bothers me the most about the scare - outside of the actual virus itself, which no doubt I am terrified of getting - is the extreme reactions that are coming from opposite sides. 

From those who dismiss this as nothing and compare it to the flu, those most susceptible to the virus - being the elderly, those who are immune-compromised and those with underlying medical conditions (me) - are being brushed aside. I cannot count how many times I have heard those three groups of people mentioned as if we were an afterthought. Do you know how awful it feels to know you're one of those at-risk people who could easily die, but you're not the main target of the public's messaging? 

And that brings me to the other side - normally-healthy individuals who have gone hysterical are ransacking shelves of toilet paper (why toilet paper? This isn't norovirus!!), buying up all hand sanitizers, wipes and soap, emptying grocery stores of non-perishable items and then either a) not using them or b) reselling them for a profit. After that, the trend these past few days is to post photos of their "stash" on social media. I have SO many thoughts here:

• No one needs 48 rolls of toilet paper. 
• If we can't physically go to the store because we are ill or are quarantined and we run out of something, a healthy friend or volunteer can make the run for us. We don't need to hoard food.  
• We have power and fresh water coming out of our taps. We do not need to buy non-perishable items and water bottles. 
• By emptying shelves of affordable, non-perishable products, you are taking items away from those who need it most: seniors and people who are living in poverty.
• Bragging about your purchases on social media is a first-world problem and is extremely insensitive. 
• Buying sanitizer and wipes and reselling them for a profit is JUST PLAIN WRONG. 

And perhaps the scariest of all:

• Leaving no sanitizer, wipes or soap for others means individuals like myself will be put at greater risk of contracting the virus and therefore, death. (And seriously, did you just learn to sanitize your hands now?)

So while the virus itself is pretty terrifying, it's behaviours like these that make the situation so much more frightening for anyone who is considered high-risk. It's crowding and hoarding that will lead to the spread of the virus instead of "flattening the curve."

I already need to be on high alerts for colds and flus. I'm prepared for the onslaught of COVID-19. What I'm not prepared for is the panic. I already have a severe anxiety disorder and I certainly don't need to add onto it. 

2020 was supposed to be the year I became a mom. This blog was supposed to document that experience. Now we're just hoping to get through the next few months with our health intact. 

But we will get through this together. We will overcome. And hopefully, humanity will learn some lessons so we're much better prepared the next time something of this magnitude happens. 

Who's ready for 2021?