Preventative Medicine

39

People freaked out and bought out every bottle of hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol, and every package of sanitizing wipes, in every store, everywhere it seems. And when they couldn’t find those and someone pointed out that bleach is an excellent disinfectant, they bought all the bleach.

But all they need to clean their hands and the surfaces in their homes are simple, plain, old-fashioned, soap and water.

Can you buy soap anywhere anymore? I wouldn’t know, I’ve been stuck under voluntary quarantine (it was “should” and not “must” when we started) for the past 12 days, so I have no idea what it looks like out there in the stores right now. In two days we are free of home quarantine, but I’m not sure I want to be free now…

I’m a skeptic by nature, but my skepticism recedes when there is solid, fact-based, evidence to support claims. And there is clearly a LOT of fact-based evidence to support the claims that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is dangerous and that physically distancing ourselves from others will reduce the transmission rate and protect the lives of those who are at greater risk. There is fact-based evidence that demonstrates that distancing ourselves from each other will reduce the strain on the hospitals and help lower the risk that they will be overwhelmed.

And, underneath all of my skepticism, I generally have a fundamental faith that humanity and logic will prevail.

I’m kinda losing that faith.

I’m getting to the point where all I can do is shake my head at the incredible acts of human stupidity and willful ignorance of those panic-buying, and of those dismissing the significance of the oh-so-obvious risks, and wonder how we got to this point where so many are, at the same time, an expert on everything they possibly couldn’t be, and so obviously ignorant of the most basic principles of biology and mathematics that they should be aware of.

Just wash your hands and stay at least six feet away from me, OK?

Wash your hands, and stay the fuck home.

(86/365)