The Coronavirus Pandemic (Part 6) - by Moses

      So now it's April 2nd, 2020 and we see the worldwide number of Coronavirus cases at almost 1 million with roughly 50,000 deaths.  A staggering ill assessment by Donald Trump from what he was calling a strong flu in January right through to early March.  This is like out of the movie 'Outbreak' with practically no end in sight.  All we can really do at this point is to isolate as effectively as we possibly can, and with respect to keeping our sanity there is social media to keep us well informed.  Which brings me back to the first three parts that I wrote about this pandemic, that it could be G-d's wrath (a plague like that of the bubonic plague - capable of killing 100-200 million people worldwide over a 14 year period)  .  

  Spreading like it does begs the question;  Are we going to see off-breeds of the original strand of the known Coronavirus manifest as a threat to infect people in greater severity as to what we're seeing now (ie. a strand of the virus that has a 30% kill rate of the infected)?  If this is only the beginning then the population in North America could be devastated.  Already throwing out numbers like a possible 1 million deaths in America from this disease are probably in fact too conservative.  What we'll eventually have to accept is that our way of life in the Western World may have to change to accommodate safe practices in almost every way we go about our business.  How crazy do germaphobes look to be now; the Howard Hughes of this World, and any other influential paranoid as they were so deemed as recently as 3 months ago.  Our perspectives will surely change as this virus grows, as to what other measures we can take to ensure our health and safety on this matter.

  All I can think of are the Health Care Workers; the Doctors, Nurses, Orderlies, First Response Teams and other Hospital Staff risking their lives to save ours.  When we think of why it's important to have Doctors (and other Hospital Staff) we are now aware as to why.  If this is a test from Hashem (the Creator of the Universe) himself then we're royally screwed.  How many people in the world operate with morality?  The inference is obvious, like in the time of Noah there are very few people that are righteous in a spiritual sense.  How many unspoken sins?  How many hypocrites populate the mainstream population?  Too many to count.  Not to be negative but when I think how common place it is in North America to see someone with a tattoo, or to see someone who takes a kickback in their daily functions as a rule of thumb.  Isn't it accepted that 1000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean is a good start?

  Let's try and live through these times as homo-sapiens with purpose and vigor (determination), not let our minds take us to a shallow existence.  Will we survive this scare as a people?

  As a Jewish man I recount the Passover every year during Seders.  At home now with no family gathering I'm wondering how Rabbi's see the poetic injustice of recounting the story of the Passover in which each Rabbi's take (Rabbi Eliezar, Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Jose, and Rabbi Akiba) on how severe the 10 Plagues that befell Egypt could really have been in those times?  Each Rabbi had his own take as to the severity of how many plagues the G-d most high was capable of delivering.  How do Rabbi's under different names today make similar analogies in the modern day with respect to the Coronavirus, while keeping in perspective our Exodus from Egypt and the plagues of that time (all at the same time)?
   

The Coronavirus Pandemic - Health Care Heroes (Part 4) - by Moses

      We are seeing Health Care Workers around the world working around the clock treating its' populations by putting their lives on the line day in and day out in treating people that have the virus.  These men and women deserve medals for taking a chance with respect to their lives in treating a highly contagious disease.  While there are stories that showcase peoples' greed; like those hoarding grocery store supplies for themselves through this crisis, the positives are what I'm focusing on in this article.

  When September 11, 2001 came it was the NYPD and NYFD that stepped up to the plate and delivered as heroes.  Through this crisis Doctors, Nurses and all other medical personnel have been professional and have saved lives.  Period. 
  
   It's ironic; the masses look to the rich and famous for answers throughout their lives, yet when a health crisis hits we realize how invaluable having a strong health care system really is (independent of famous actors, famous sports figures, famous personalities and their roles in society).  Now that we see all professional sports shut down for the time being we realize that our health really does need to be preserved.  When one thinks of the value of a Doctor or Nurse we realize how vulnerable they really are in their day to day jobs, and why we shouldn't take our lives for granted as the death toll has steadily climbed. around the world.  Some very high profile people have been stricken with the virus, including Tom Hanks, Prince Charles, and many professional sports athletes, so the class structure on who got hit can't just be attributed to the poor.

  Regardless of the politics of the current situation we are still just human - imperfect beings.  The only entity that really matters in life or death decisions aside from G-d himself is the Doctor and Nurse team that saves a Coronavirus patient's life at their own risk.  If people have the compassion necessary to treat this disease we can hopefully change for the better as people.  This time is a true reality check for the common man.