Coronavirus + Capitalism = Sad Face: Why the American Capitalist System Will Make the Coming Coronavirus Pandemic Worse
First, I want to translate all the stuff being thrown at you to what you really need to know about the Coronavirus. As the name suggest,it is a virus which means it cannot be treated with anti-biotics (same as cold and flu). The exact number fluctuates, but right now it is looking at about a 2% to 3% fatality rate, which means for every 100 people infected, 2 to 3 will die.
Compare that to the flu this season. In the US alone, per the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), there has been 32 to 45 million people infected, 310,000 to 560,000 people hospitalized, and 18,000 to 46,000 deaths. And the flu is a yearly occurrence
That being said, the fatalities from Coronavirus at this point have been people above 60, or people who otherwise have health complications. In particular people with diabetes, heart health issues, or lung related issues are at much higher risk. People don’t die from the virus itself, but rather from secondary complications: for example, developing pneumonia. Also, the fatality rate is probably much lower than 3%, because the virus can be carried by people who don’t develop symptoms or who think they just have a mild cold (which for them they essentially do) and so never see a doctor or get tested.
This is also part of the problem, and why in countries such as Italy, South Korea, and Iran you get a sudden spike in cases. People can have the virus and spread it for up to 14 days without ever noticing symptoms. Other people come in contact, and then they can move around for many days without symptoms spreading the virus.
Because it is a virus antibiotics can’t be used to treat it. Anti-viral medication has not yet been shown to be very effective, but it is still early days. A vaccine is 9 months away at the earliest.
The best way to prevent and treat is the same as what we all should do every year for cold and flu. Wash our hands, sneeze & cough into our elbows, get plenty of sleep, eat a balanced diet, and if sick, stay home.
It is that last part that I am sure concerns many people reading this. Where there have been a growing amount of US cities that are passing sick time rules, those rules tend to only affect business with higher numbers of staff. Further, not everyone may feel comfortable using sick time. Often part-time people don’t get it, and what happens if you are out of sick time? Even if you do have sick time and feel comfortable using it, how many of us have medical insurance or could even afford the co-pay to go to the doctor’s office?
Let’s take it a step further and look at what happens if there is wide-spread community transmission.
This means people are passing it around and symptoms are spreading. The most likely first response will be the closing of schools, up to and including universities, as well as large public events such as sporting events, concerts, and political rallies (which brings up a whole other concern).
If you have kids, will you get paid to take 2 weeks off from work if your kid’s school gets closed? Or would you be forced to use sick and/or vacation time? If you are a cafeteria worker, janitor, or teacher, how would you get paid if your school gets closed down? If you are a cleaner contracted to clean the convention center and that gets shut and conventions canceled for two weeks, will you get paid?
How many of us could afford to not get paid for two weeks?
As someone who previously worked in the medical field, I do not have significant concerns about the overall survivability of someone who catches this coronavirus. As someone who currently works in emergency management, I do not have concerns about our nation’s ability to mount a public health response to multiple people getting sick. But as an anti-capitalist, I have grave concerns about the average person’s ability to weather a true pandemic.
So many of us are one paycheck away from defaulting on credit card bills, or not making rent. Already people are not eating at Chinese restaurants (which is just stupid and racist, by the way)— how will other parts of the economy be affected if there are more cases? We still don’t have socialized health care, our real wages continue to drop, and there is not a social safety net to help us out if we get quarantined for 2 weeks.
Even if something gets set up through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to apply for funds if quarantined, I couldn’t wait months for it to be processed and a check issued, nor probably could you. Also, would my place of work even be open after those 2 weeks? Just because my quarantine gets lifted, doesn’t mean a wider quarantine in my city or town does. Then what?
We also have to remember the US homeless population, the prison population, and detained asylum seekers. They all already live in close quarters (even the homeless in the camps they set up for themselves for safety and community) and have little to no regular, comprehensive healthcare available to them.
This country’s system has never been set up to help those who aren’t wealthy. If you’re rich, a pandemic means nothing to you and most likely won’t affect your day-to-day. But the rest of us could be looking at some tough times ahead if this becomes a true pandemic here in the US.
So, if you can; stock up on non-perishable food, wash your hands, get good sleep, and keep an eye on each other. When the rich and our politicians let us down, we only have each other to rely upon to get through the dark times.
Lastly if you want more information, go straight to the source. The CDC is staffed with a bunch of fantastic, smart, non-partisan people who know their shit. Remember, if Donald Trump keeps trying to cut their funding, they must be doing something right.
FERRUS
Ferrus has been working with emergency services even longer than he has been working with the spirit world. A companion of Freyja, spirit animals, and angels, he is learning how to work with the Dead to protect those living in the Capitol of the Empire.
He finds tea, candles, and frankincense and myrrh necessary for life, and his favourite dinosaur is the Triceratops.