“Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”
—Satchel Page
“The opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings.”
Oddly enough this saying wasn’t coined by an opera critic. No, that honor belongs to a San Antonio sportscaster named Dan Cook, who said he created it after hearing Yogi Berra say, “The game isn’t over till it’s over.”
Actually the genesis of the statement isn’t that important, but what is interesting about the line is that it has become almost a cliché for various announcers to use when they mean something isn’t over yet. It’s a very handy saying, however, and I’m going to apply it to the current pandemic: “The COVID-19 virus ain’t over till the fat lady sings.”
As I have followed the stats of this monster that has wrapped its deadly tentacles everywhere around the world, I’ve become quite alarmed by the seemingly cavalier attitude many of the American people have adopted toward it. From the Memorial Day weekend, when people jammed beaches, parks, and swimming pools to the last few weeks of protesting, many people apparently have completely forgotten about social distancing and wearing masks in public.
Stats and Facts
Consider the following statistics applicable to just the United States: On Wednesday, June 10 — 20,852 new cases, 2,066,401 total cases, and 982 new deaths; On Thursday, June 11 – 23,300 new cases, 2,089,701 total cases, and 904 new deaths; Friday, June 12 – 27,221 new cases, 2,116,922 total cases, 791 new deaths. These numbers are frightening, and they prove that the virus is far from gone. While it’s true that some states have leveled out, others like Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, and North Carolina, to name a few, have seen significant spikes.
And where in the hell is the leadership from the White House these days? What happened to the Coronavirus Task Force? Of course Trump sets the worst possible example by stubbornly and ignorantly refusing to wear a mask where one is required and continuing his push for states to open up despite what the numbers show.
Now here’s what is really interesting. Yes, Trump eschews the mask, but he and his campaign managers admit how dangerous the virus is by requiring that everyone planning to attend an upcoming rally in Tulsa agree to a disclaimer, which reads in part: “By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury.”
Freely translated this means, “Come to the rally, but don’t blame Trump or any of his people in you become ill or are trampled.”
Magic Hats
Interestingly enough Trump wears many hats.
Trunp the firefighter said, “We want the continued blanket lockdown to end for the states. We may have some embers or some ashes, or we may have some flames coming, but we’ll put them out. We’ll stomp them out.”
The flames are burning hotter a number of states.
And Trump the magician back in February said, “It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle – it will disappear.”
RIGHT!
There’s no question that in recent days the virus, rightfully so, has taken a backseat to the George Floyd murder and the ensuing protests. But the fact remains that while the world was focused on watching Floyd being laid to rest, the virus was continuing to fester everywhere. Unfortunately, it looks as if many Americans have put the virus on the back burner, something that may prove very dangerous because they are not heeding what the experts have to say.
Dr. Ashish Jha is the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, and in a recent interview with Kate Bolduan of CNN he said, “I think right now, most Americans are not ready to lock back down, and I completely understand that. Here’s the bottom line, though, which is that I understand people are willing to live alongside this virus. It means that between 800 and 1,000 Americans are going to die every single day. We’re going to get another 100,000 deaths by September; we do have to try to figure out how to bring the caseloads down from these scary levels, in some states.”
Fauci Factor
Of course from now on when I hear the name of any kind of virus, I will think of only one man – Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He came to the scene fairly early as a member of the Coronavirus Task Force, and he was the only reason I forced myself to watch those daily Trump watch-me-pat-myself-on-the-back briefings. When he was finally called on to speak, Fauci was the only one who made any sense.
In a recent interview with “healthline” Fauci, who has referred to the virus as “my worst nightmare,” issued the following warning:
“You want to make sure that, in your desire to get back to normal, that we don’t leapfrog over some of the benchmarks we need to reach in order to get to the next stage. We’ve put out a series of guidelines that are very well delineated. We do need to be patient and careful, but we need to proceed both to try and suppress the virus and to get back to normality.”
The numbers don’t lie, and the virus still is very much alive, both in our country and around the world. Until the scientists develop a vaccine, the only way we can fight it is by practicing the guidelines that we should have committed to memory by now: wash your hands often; don’t touch your face; practice social distancing; and when you go out in public, wear a mask.
COVID—19 still is out there and as dangerous as ever. Remember: It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.
And she ain’t even stood up yet!
