COVID - Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We're Going

 Operation Warp Speed COO, General  Gustave Perna

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit us back in early March and it was discovered how contagious it is and how quickly it spreads, I quickly made the decision to self quarantine. Health experts on the President's coronavirus task force urged the country to shut down. And it did. Schools and Shuls were closed. All non essential business were shut down. Even grocery shopping was discouraged for the elderly (over 65?). We were told to rely on others to do our shopping for us. Chicago became a ghost town – as did  most other cities in the country. 

My belief at the time was that this situation will probably run its course in a few weeks, or at most a few months. And that by the summer we should be back to normal. I have long ago been disabused of that notion. Even as the lockdown began to ease, the virus did not go away. It is still around. In spades. 

In fact we are currently in just about the worst phase of this pandemic thus far. Record numbers of people are testing positive for the virus. States like Illinois that were vigilant in urging people to wear masks and socially distance - are nevertheless now spiking in record numbers. 

This is true even in Chicago’s Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods.  Shuls that have been meticulous in enforcing their prevention measures have seen members testing positive. Including in one case the rabbi of a shul. Things are  not getting better. They are getting worse!

Furthermore it isn’t just positivity rates going up. Hospitalizations are up and will soon be overwhelming. The number of deaths are up too. We are once again seeing makeshift morgues in certain parts of the country that have accumulated more dead bodies than they can handle! 

The question is, Why? Whys is this happening? Can it be the President’s fault for his gross mishandling of the pandemic. Or his not setting an example and being more serious about it? Is it for example being spread by the kind of ‘super-spreader’ events associated with Trump’s rallies... or his frequent gatherings in and around the White House where the known effective preventative measures of masks and social distancing were ignored?

Yes. President Trump and his base share some of the blame for this. No doubt abut that. But they are not alone. They were not the only ones involved in super-spreader events.

The truth is that Biden supporters are not much better. That was made obvious by the massive crowds all over the country by supporters celebrating his victory at the polls last Tuesday.  None of them were socially distanced. 

The same thing happened at a college football game over the weekend. Where underdog Notre Dame won over Clemson. The cheering crowds in the stands stormed the playing field in celebration as if there was no such thing as COVID. The vast majority of college students were Biden supporters.  

I say this as a truth. In case no one has noticed, the President lost the election. I am not defending him in the hope that it will sway the election his way as some accused me of doing before the election. It’s just that I hate falsehood. The truth has to be told no matter where it lies.  The President surely has a lot to be criticized for. But one should never criticize him when he doesn’t deserve it. The plain truth about why this virus is spreading is because not enough people are doing what’s necessary to curb it.  ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITCAL AISLE!  It doesn’t matter who they voted for. Or if they voted at all! 

What about the Orthodox Jewish Community? Are we no different than the rest of the world when it comes to COVID? I’m afraid so.

Eytan Kobre had a moment of clarity about this in last week’s Mishpacha Magazine column. He basically blamed his own Charedi community (of which he is proudly a member) for contributing to the spread therein. They have been lax about mask wearing and social distancing. He even admitted being somewhat lax himself adding ‘What’s wrong with me?!’ 

He made some of the same points I have. Such as asking how many of our own people have to die before we begin to do the right thing?  And that not only is this laxity hurting our health, it’s causing the rest of the world to say how stupid we are instead of how wise we are. This is the opposite of what God wants the world to say about His chosen people!  

And yet he defended the view of his community against the ‘draconian limits placed on our communities by malevolent or incredibly incompetent politicians’ . He should have instead said he understands why the government did that - for the very reasons he laments his community has fallen short! 

Will this terrible situation ever end? On that front there is some good news to report. President Trump’s claim that we are rounding the corner on COVID may actually be true. Despite the unprecedented huge spike. 

The one thing that will turn things around is something the President is actually responsible for. His ‘Operation Warp Speed’ is bearing fruit. Despite all the scoffing by his critics, his prediction that we would have a vaccine by election day was only slightly off. It will very likely be approved just a couple of weeks after the election. 

The results of the clinical trials by Pfizer, one of the many pharmaceutical companies developing and testing a vaccine - shows a 90% effective rate of their vaccine. Which is much greater than the hoped for 50%. The first vaccination may take place at the end of this month! Essential workers and the most vulnerable among us will probably be getting vaccinated in December and January. And the rest of us as early as April. The President’s has made sure that 50 million doses will be ready to be distributed on day one. And that many more millions of doses will be produced monthly after that. So that soon - there will be enough for everyone by then. 

The President has also enlisted the military to help distribute the vaccine as quickly and efficiently as possible. That was made clear by Gustave F. Perna, the 4 star general  placed  in charge of that project. Last Sunday night he was interviewed on 60 Minutes and said with 100% certainty that this is exactly what will happen. 

I believe the President is owed a debt of gratitude here, whether we love him or hate him. With all of the legitimate criticisms about his handling of the pandemic, this is one area for which he deserves credit. A vaccine that will eventually end the pandemic will in my view outweigh all of his missteps. 

As good as that news is, we will still be in bad shape if we don’t as a country - do what’s necessary now. All of the experts predict that things are only going to get worse from here.

Republicans, Democrats,  conservatives, liberals, Jews, gentiles, Orthodox Jews, non Orthodox Jews, young, old, black, white… all of us need to wear masks, practice social distancing, and not congregate! These are proven things we can do to reduce death and destruction. If we don't, a lot more of us are going to get sick and in some cases die – or have life long complications even if we recover. 

God help us all.