As I write, 1,228,214 have been infected and 73,418 are dead in the United States from the coronavirus.
I ran some numbers last night based on available statistics.
- Less than .4% of the U.S. population has been reported as being infected. This number is probably low as there has not been sufficient testing. Less than .02% of the U.S. population has died from the disease. This number may be higher as there may have been deaths that were not attributed to Covid 19 that could go back into 2019.
- New York and New Jersey have been the two states hit hardest with the Covid 19 infection. Governor Murphy extended restrictions in NJ until June 7. While the infection rate has decreased slightly, there is a fear of resurgence if NJ opens up businesses and the beaches.
- Pennsauken has about a 1% infection rate (360 infections from a 36,000 population.) Moorestown has suffered a rise both in infections and deaths. Just about all the deaths were people over 65.
Some ruminations:
Crises bring out the best and the worst in people. Listed are my grades and a one sentence summary of their performance, actions and results:
Trump: F Acted too slow. Preened and whined too much. Responsible for a lot of deaths and destruction of the economy.
Andrew Cuomo: A Demonstrated and communicated leadership, good judgment and compassion.
Governor Murphy: A Not as telegenic as Cuomo but has done a very good job.
Congress: C- Not acting with the necessary urgency that this pandemic requires.
Media: C Uneven reporting. Fox News deserves an F. Coverage of the President’s Task Force was largely a mistake. Too much panic spun at times from various reports and cable shows.
Dr Fauci: B+ I would have given him an A or A+ but for his glowing recommendation of remdesivir whose performance is slightly more effective than a placebo.
Nurses A++ So many heroic stories about their care and bravery.
Really irritated about insurance companies bragging about refunds to auto insurance policies. Liberty Mutual is giving me 15% off of a 2 month premium which probably comes to $30 or less. I like many others are probably driving 60-70% less during these times. 60 to 70% is the range they should have used for the refund.
I have noticed a number of both public and social media comments about letting elderly people die as a sacrifice to the economy. If we ever get to the other side of this crisis, there will be political and economic pain for those who were willing to toss 65+ year old people overboard off the life boats.
Esot-eric 