What Will Happen Now

It is remarkable what is going on in our country today and in that of so many other countries around the world. Oh sure, we have dealt with serious matters in our health section and now, here we go again. Here is the latest that should confirm what we can be facing at this time:

“the deadly coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, despite increasingly strict quarantine measures around the world. As the number of cases grows, experts are warning that life worldwide will be severely disrupted for many months.” (Siobhán O'Grady, TeoArmus, Rick Noack, Brittany Shammas, Marisa Iati, Washington Post,March 18, 2020) 

Basically, almost every country around the world is taking steps to protect itself, and its citizens, from a horrific illness that may be spreading. We have read so much about it happening so quickly in very little time. Yet, in talking with others, some are not really certain what is happening. Do we or don’t we have such a serious illness as appears to be our situation now? To be honest, I do not have the faintest idea.

Clearly, if the disease spreads, quickly too, then populations worldwide are under severe risk. Yes, there may well be a vaccine or other medical product that people can take to help minimize the intensity of the illness overall. Regretfully, that medical solution may not be available for about a year because it is something new that is being developed by scientists around the world. Testing with respect to this matter does take a lot of time.

Fortunately, the number of sick people in Canada is very low right now. I wonder if those numbers will remain low. I remember seeing a comparison between various areas in the world now. What I found fascinating is that, in each of the countries where the number of sick people now is quite high, their early number was very low as well. Will the same thing happen in Canada? Can that number be kept low in our country because of the various steps that are being taken now to minimize the health risks? Just to make you feel quite awful, here are some numbers that I saw for the illness that took place in 1918 that I pray will never happen in our time frame:

“The 1918 influenza pandemic (January 1918 – December 1920; also known as the Spanish flu) was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic, the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus, with the second being the swine flu in 2009. The Spanish flu infected 500 million people around the world, or about 27% of the world population of between 1.8 and 1.9 billion. The death toll is estimated to have been anywhere from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million, making it one of the deadliest epidemics in human history.” (Wikipedia)

Here is what is happening in Europe right now:

“Desperate travellers choked European border crossings Wednesday after countries implemented strict controls to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which has now infected more than 200,000 people worldwide and killed more than 8,000.

In releasing the new figures, Johns Hopkins University also said more than 82,000 people recovered from the virus, which causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough for most people, although severe illness is more likely in the elderly and those with existing health problems.” (Canadian Press, March 18, 2020)

Based on those numbers, I need to ask whether anyone can claim that there really is no major problem that we are facing with respect to the new illness that has come out. We will know what the answer is one day but I am not sure when that day will arise.

I would think that politicians around the world believe that the medical issues are real and must be addressed. Take a look at what was announced today in Canada as an example:

“The federal government will deploy up to $82 billion in direct spending and deferred taxes to help every Canadian get through the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday.

``In these extraordinary times our government is taking extraordinary measures,'' Trudeau said in a news conference outside his Ottawa residence.

He said the package is aimed at ensuring people can do what they need to do to protect their health and that of others without fear of not being able to feed their families or pay their rent or mortgages.” (Canadian Press, March 18, 2020) 

If you think that is a lot of money, take a look at what is being proposed in the United States. It involves a huge number that starts with a “T”:

“Trump Pushes $1.2 Trillion Stimulus, $1,000 Checks in Two Weeks

“Many Americans could get 2 $1K checks, starting April 6

(Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration is discussing a plan that could amount to as much as $1.2 trillion in spending -- including direct payments of $1,000 or more to Americans within two weeks -- to blunt some of the economic impact of the widening coronavirus outbreak.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pitched $250 billion in checks to be sent at the end of April with a second set of checks totaling $500 billion four weeks later if there’s still a national emergency, according to a person familiar with the matter.

“Americans need cash now, and the president wants to give cash now. And I mean now, in the next two weeks,” Mnuchin said Tuesday at a White House briefing alongside President Donald Trump.” (JoshWingrove, Laura Davison and Saleha Mohsin, Bloomberg, March 17,2020) 

I think I will leave everything right here, dear reader. That is what is going on now. Just keep on watching and see if you can get a better idea about what the situation really is and what will happen next.