COVID-19 coronavirus continues to threaten the lives of millions of people around the world. Cases in the United States are soaring. Schools of all kinds including universities are suspending classes and closing. The NBA has ended its season and there will be no March Madness. Stock markets are more volatile than Joe Biden’s brain cells. Hand sanitizer and Lysol are nowhere to be found and toilet paper(for whatever reason) is hotter than Jennifer Lopez on a Miami beach.
Now what?
Utilizing facts, logic, and commonsense is always a good approach to most situations. While the Coronavirus represents a serious health concern for millions of Americans, the mainstream media is promoting panic with reporting that contains suspect and counter-productive information. Why would this be happening? More on that shortly.
Update as of March 15th:
- There are over 2800 confirmed cases in the US with 57 deaths.
- There are countless thousands of non-confirmed cases that have already occurred.
- There will be countless thousands that will be confirmed over the coming weeks.
- The vast majority of those infected respond to treatment and recover completely – over 98%.
- Those dying after infection are generally older and have a preexisting secondary health issue.
- There is currently a run on bottled water, canned goods, bread, toilet paper, medical supplies, and numerous other items across the country.
- N95 and similar respirator masks are sold out and back-ordered for weeks.
- The cruise and airline industries are getting hammered financially as people stop utilizing their services.
- Schools and universities across the country are closing.
- The stock market has dropped 21% off it’s high of over 29,000 reached back in February.
- Confirmation test kits for COVID-19 are slow to reach doctors’ offices and hospitals.
- Hospitals across the country are getting ready for an onslaught of Coronavirus cases and are concerned they will not have enough resources.
- President Trump declares a National Emergency. In doing so he frees billions of dollars to be used to fight the outbreak. He also signed executive actions to provide benefits such as extensive Coronavirus testing, student loan relief, and financial aid for sick workers.
- President Trump has banned all travel to and from Europe including the UK to reduce the chance of spread.
- President Trump has indicated that he is considering a domestic travel ban within the United States.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIAID Director, stated on CNN the morning of March 15th that it’s possible that hundreds of thousands of Americans may die due to COVID-19. He stated that this was avoidable if we continue to do the right things. He also inferred that “national lockdown” may be required to curtail the spread of the virus.
- The news media and many Liberal politicians continue to be irresponsible in their reporting. Their fear-mongering spin is causing widespread panic as citizens wonder about the spread, treatment, risk, and cure.
- Numerous conspiratorial theories and false information are spreading across social media platforms causing tremendous misinformation.
The true facts related to COVID-19 show that the vast majority of Americans are not at any significant risk beyond that of the normal Influenza flu. There are more significant risks for certain segments of the population as already noted. With this understanding, the response throughout the United States of closing schools, ending sports seasons, canceling widely attended events, limiting travel, and creating economic turmoil is simply not justified nor warranted.
Why is this happening?
Theories are plentiful. Beyond the Chinese governmental genetically modified bat-soup goobly-goop, many believe that the true epidemic at hand is the mainstream media and Progressive Elite. The overreaction and misinformation campaign led the liberal media aims to bring down President Trump by causing economic turmoil and convincing the American people that a new savior is needed. If the Left can reverse the economic boom that the Trump administration’s policies have provided, the next Democratic candidate has a chance to win in November. Political conspiracy? Has the Left showed the will go to any extent to get Trump out of office?
This is but one theory and one that I lean towards. Regardless of the reason, we have to deal with the fact it’s happening. Let me say that one more time:
What will be the repercussions of COVID-19?
The virus itself will make thousands – maybe millions of people sick. The vast majority will recover completely. The virus itself will take the lives of many. How many? “Too many” is the answer. It is pointless to predict numbers at this point as there are far too many variables at hand to accurately calculate.
Beyond the health issues directly related to COVID-19, the economic impact is likely to cost over $2 trillion in lost revenue worldwide. I believe this is well understated and the cost to the United States alone will approach $1 trillion or some obscene similar amount.
In these early stages of this pandemic, the economy of the United States has already been greatly effected. Beyond the declining stock market, tens of thousands of businesses across the country in a wide array of industries are seeing a dramatic drop in business. Hundreds of thousands of students across the country are being forced to stay home from school and therefore parents are having to make a decision between a paycheck or caring for their children. As the populace restricts their day to day activities in an effort to reduce their possible exposure to COVID-19, small shops and stores, in particular, are struggling to stay afloat.
The domino effect of reduced commerce is costing billions of dollars within the domestic economy. This is just getting underway and will continue as people lose jobs, incomes drop, industries are decimated, and the virus spreads into every community and the statistics pile up. Where will it end and how far will it go? Too early to tell.
The media will continue to dedicate an unjustified amount of time to this virus, all the while the regular Influenza flu kills more than 20,000 – with no outrage, panics, and no closures. The media will continue to dedicate an unjustified amount of time to this virus, all the while more than 35,000 people will die in automobile accidents – – with no outrage, panics, and no closures. The media will continue to dedicate an unjustified amount of time to this virus, all the while more than 480,000 people will die from disease directly related to cigarette smoking – with no outrage, panics, and no closures.
The media and Progressive Elite will continue to drive their agenda using any and all means available to them.
Influenza Flu Statistics – NOT Covid-19
What to do now?
The first thing we need to do is realize this virus is NOT ebola or something even close. The vast majority from a health perspective will be just fine. There is no reason to panic. From an economic perspective, there is nothing we can do to control the stock market nor the mainstream media.
The following recommendations are based on the current situation as of March 15th, 2020. Things can change quickly.
Steps to prepare for possible severe economic times ahead and limitations on access to medical care:
- Reduce spending and save CASH.
- If you do not have to go out in public – DON’T.
- If having to go out in public – wear a mask and gloves. While this is an action that may seem extreme it’s a decision that each individual has to make for themselves. Utilize hand sanitizer and disinfectant to reduce the risk of transporting unwanted “bugs”.
- Review your Preparedness System and look for holes that need to be filled. If you are spending more time inside this is a perfect opportunity to inventory all supplies which will allow a better view for determining what’s needed and what’s not.
- Continue to stock up on food. Target a minimum 3 months supply for each and every person you expect to have under you’re roof.
- Secure water filtration and put back at least 14 gallons for each person under your roof.
- Refill each vehicle whenever fuel drops to 1/2 tank.
- Keep all medications filled and get refills at the 25-day mark if possible.
- Put back at least 10 gallons of fuel for each vehicle. Assuming 20mpg, that is 200 miles of range per vehicle.
- Make sure you have all the items needed to participate in a 2-week quarantine.
- Purchase online if possible to reduce exposure to going out in public. Amazon continues to be an excellent source, however, watch for price gouging. Following an Amazon link from this website helps support what we are doing here with no additional cost to you. Thank you!!
Folks, the steps above are a few suggestions and certainly do not represent an all-inclusive list of everything that possibly could be done. This event is just getting underway. Updates will be posted as things develop.
Please comment below and share what you are experiencing and what your thoughts are on what is going on.
Take care.
Rourke