In our convulsions over the election, we have overlooked rising levels of coronavirus infection which threaten thousands more deaths in the U.S. Yesterday, for the first time, the number of new U.S. infections topped 100,000 and shows no signs of slowing. And hospitalizations have exceeded 50,000, the highest since early August.
While Trump’s defeat in the election seems assured, he will still hold power until the inauguration on January 20, 2021. He maintains that we have turned a corner on the pandemic and still does nothing at all to counter it despite rising numbers of sick and dying. The vulnerable among us have more than two months to get through with no prospect of action from the federal government to combat a disease that is decimating us.
So it’s up to us to survive with no assistance from our government. We must isolate ourselves, wear masks when in the presence of others, maintain social distancing (at least six feet), and wash our hands incessantly. I’ve been doing all that for seven months. I guess I can do it for another half year until the changes instituted by the Biden administration begin to take effect.
Meanwhile, things will get worse before they get better. And I, an aging man with a history of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), would likely die if I contracted the disease. It’s up to me and me alone to stay alive.
And you wonder why I didn’t vote for Trump?
Tom Glenn, Writer 