Finding our siege spirit again

I wrote the first story about COVID-19 for the Vicksburg Daily News on Feb. 1. It seems like years ago, but it’s been less than seven weeks.

Instinctively, I knew this was going to be bad, and as I followed the announcements from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they continued to reinforce my thoughts about the disease. Still, sometimes I felt I was overwhelming readers with too much information, even as most of our readers ignored it.

Comparing the statistics from Feb. 1 to today is a frightening experience of some truly ugly math.

On Feb. 1, the number of cases in the world was about 12,000 and 249 deaths. Today, it’s 20 times that with more than 244,000 cases and 10,000 deaths. Deaths have increased by a factor of 40.

Back then, the U.S. had a whopping total of seven cases and no deaths. Today, we have nearly 14,000 cases and more than 200 deaths. I’ll let you do the scary math on those numbers.

Mississippi announced its first death yesterday.

It announced its first case of the virus a week ago, and today, we have 80 cases.

Like so many states, we lack the resources to do a lot of testing. On Thursday, some 600 Mississippians had been tested out of a population of nearly 3 million. That’s scary math, too.

Every state in the country has now confirmed COVID-19 cases, the majority in New York State, Washington State and California.

Let me be perfectly clear: COVID-19 is a killer, and this pandemic is very likely to get much worse before it gets better.

We’ve all seen the finger pointing about who’s to blame for the spread of the virus in the U.S. Under dire circumstances, it’s natural to want to find someone to blame, and politicians of all political stripes are playing the blame game to maximum effect. It’s not useful.

Our economy and that of the world are in danger of crashing despite the big piles of money being thrown their way.

Friends and neighbors are closing their businesses or being laid off from jobs that our recently booming economy seemed to promise would last forever.

We’ve all seen the stories by now. Some of us are so panicked that we’re buying every last roll of toilet paper in every store as if all that fluff will insulate us from this disease.

So what can we do that will make a difference now?

First and foremost, we have to start taking this seriously. Some folks are still denying there’s a problem, or worse yet, poo-pooing the facts and ignoring the advice of foremost medical authorities. That’s not helpful.

WHO, the CDC and the Mississippi State Health Department have all put out guidelines on hygiene and behavior to prevent the spread of infection. Pay attention.

Among them are what’s become known as social distancing, creating distance between you and every other person. Short of a flat-out government-mandated quarantine, social distancing has shown to be one of the few effective ways to stop the virus’ transmission. Don’t congregate in groups. Avoid people who are ill. Stay home if you’re sick. Work at home if possible.

We also know that many people can’t afford to stay home from work ever, and to that end, the federal government is stepping up to provide emergency funds for those affected. When the checks will arrive, how long they will last and how long they’ll be needed is anyone’s guess. Help a neighbor who needs help.

For those with resources, it’s tempting to use unexpected time off as vacation time. Resist the urge. This isn’t the time to spend more time with friends and distant relatives, head to the beach or have the gang over for a basketball game in the driveway and barbeque on the deck. Take this seriously. Take responsibility.

Many folks in Vicksburg have stepped up to make a difference in this time of need. We applaud them. This is a time when we need a few heroes, even shy, unlikely ones. We want to continue to bring you those stories.

For our patrons who are continuing to advertise with us, thank you. Those dollars will help us continue to do our work.

The internet is one resource that will be fully utilized to provide information, but don’t fall victim to rumors. Verify before you share.

During World War II in Great Britain, people in London and across the country were getting bombed every night during the Blitz. Some 32,000 civilians died and 87,000 were severely injured. During that time of scary math, from September of 1940 to May 1941, people pulled together to help their neighbors. The “blitz spirit” surely has some myths surrounding it, but the bombings galvanized the people of Great Britain like little else. Britain did not surrender to its enemy.

Vicksburg experienced its own siege during the Civil War, of course, and the city is no stranger to finding the spirit of survival. Thousands of soldiers on both sides died during that siege, and civilians took to caves and eating God knows what to survive. But survive they did.

It’s time to find a little of our personal “COVID spirit.” The circumstances of this siege are vastly different, but each of us must take responsibility to find it within ourselves to face this disease—not with fear and finger-pointing, but with calm, clear-eyed and science-informed action.

At some point, this disease will abate. A vaccine will be developed. The economy will recover. Most of us will survive, even if the world may be much changed by then.

It’s up to each of us to turn our characters toward that light and do the right thing now, even if it’s inconvenient, expensive or hard. Our futures may well depend on it.