Fear

In a previous post, I wrote about fear and the way it is affecting our nation. As I've said many times, when we are afraid we do not think clearly and often do not make good choices. We may make choices that we later regret. So returning to our discussion of the skills and attitudes of resilience and how we need them now perhaps more than ever.

Let us talk about problem solving. That's really what being able to understand and control the present virus is all about. We need to understand how people become infected with the virus and what its normal course is. Once treated do people relapse? What are the best treatments since it will take perhaps a year to a year and a half to develop a vaccine? To find the answers to these questions many more people in this country need to be tested if they are sick and are suspected of having the virus. This is critical to finding answers to these questions. It's unfortunate that the pandemic response team that functioned under George W. Bush and Obama was dismissed in 2018 and not replaced. But there are a number of competent scientists in the CDC who can find answers to these questions if they are given the proper resources and support.

We need to look beyond the present situation with some optimism. Our government responded well in the past to other health crises. We certainly have the resources in this country to do this again. We need to believe in our ability to confront and manage the present crisis. We need to believe that we can.

As I said earlier we need to be active and engaged. We need to demand that those in charge level with us about what is going on. Dealing with this present health crisis cannot just be about the stock market and getting elected. We need direction from the CDC and from those in charge. And that direction needs to come from those who know what they're talking about and who are experts on the subject.