The world as we’ve known it, at least during my lifetime, has been turned upside down in the last few weeks due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Coronavirus.
Most people are really concerned as they should be. Some are down right scared.
Others believe that the world as we’ve known it will never be the same again.
Had a good friend tell me the other day he believes the “handshake” is gone forever. I don’t think so. I disagreed with him. Yea, it may take a while.
I just don’t think we’ll never shake hands again.
When I first discussed the virus about five weeks ago I mentioned then that my thoughts were mixed. To some degree, they still are.
Do I believe it’s as serious as I thought five weeks ago that it might be?
Much more so really. I just wasn’t sure and didn’t know enough about it. I didn’t doubt the experts who were providing medical facts about the virus.
The increase in cases across the United States, in Oklahoma and in other surrounding states is greater than I imagined back then.
Remember, though, this just has really taken off in Oklahoma in the last 2-3 weeks.
Much of that is attributed to the huge increase in the number of kits the state has received recently to test people suspected of having the virus and the ability to obtain results much quicker.
That’s due to Gov. Kevin Stitt providing OU and OSU the ability to partner with the state and other medical facilities which equates to expanded efforts to determine accurately how many are testing positive and negative.
To me, what is somewhat encouraging, is the number of people in Oklahoma testing negative. I realize these numbers are changing daily.
However, through Tuesday of this week, 565 had tested positive and at the same time 1,229 had tested negative. There had been 23 deaths.
There’s little doubt the number of those testing positive will rise in the coming weeks. So will the number of negatives probably.
A good friend of mine who I respect and who is in the medical profession inquired recently about how I was doing. He said, “Hope all is well amidst this craziness. Stay home. Life will return in about six weeks.”
He said then the numbers in Oklahoma were climbing and that we’d see deaths in the state, nothing like Italy, but indicated we are going to see much worse before it passes.
Still, he predicted that life would return. From what he told me, he thinks it will let up in Oklahoma probably by early May. I pray each day that he’s right.
Only time will tell if he’s right. But I noticed other experts are indicating about the same time frame.
We can only pray and hope he and they are correct.