Thankfully, I am getting this post out earlier in the evening this Thursday than I did last Thursday. I’m glad about that because frankly, these updates have not been necessarily the sort of material I would recommend reading right before bed.
Anyway, everyone in my family remains free of COVID-19 symptoms. Some of us (myself included) have struggled a little bit with allergies, but those allergies are no worse for me this spring than they are most other springs. Besides, everyone’s temperature has been normal, and none of us have shown the symptoms of the coronavirus. I should also add this week that my living set of grandparents, who live in a senior living community in a different state, are doing okay. Believe me–I’m relieved myself, given all the horror stories coming out of many senior living communities and nursing homes about COVID-19.
The situation, while not great, has improved somewhat in New York. Here are a few things of note, with regards to New York’s situation:
- As of the day I’m writing this, Governor Andrew Cuomo reported fewer than 500 deaths in one day for the third consecutive day. I’m not celebrating because daily deaths in the 400-500 range is still horrifically high, but the rate at which deaths were happening was at the 600-800 range last week.
- Hospitalizations and ICU admissions are down. Once again, there are still a lot of people hospitalized and in the ICU, but given how difficult this situation has been, I will take even incremental improvement.
- Even though things have improved somewhat, there is a long way to go, and in the assessment of public health officials in New York City and State, we are not ready to do the sort of partial reopening that is happening in parts of the United States.
Speaking of partial reopening, I see that there have been some protests over the stay-at-home restrictions in a number of states. I understand the desire among some to get back to some semblance of normalcy, and the anger in how that return is not happening quickly (or at all yet, in many places), but I beg people to take this pandemic seriously. Everyone in my family at this point knows multiple people who fell seriously ill or died from this. Unless you want that future for yourself, your family, and your friends, please take the social distancing and the stay-at-home restrictions seriously.
Blind Injustice 
Good to see you Brendan! I’m so relieved you and your family remain well. I wish people would take heed from what’s happened in New York, but I fear they won’t. Kemp’s stubborn insistence on opening Georgia up tomorrow I think will be most likely a canary in the coal mine scenario. I think in 2-3 weeks there will be a huge spike in cases and deaths there, and in any other states that decide to just jump. I hope we’re wrong,
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Yeah, I heard about what Kemp is planning to do in Georgia. It sounds outright dangerous to me, and something that could result in a significant loss of life. I really hope that I am wrong.
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I also heard that a preliminary study of antibody tests point to the possibility that over two million New Yorkers may have been exposed to Covid-19 earlier than what was even thought. That’s just mind boggling!
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It’s mind-boggling and unsurprising at the same time. It’s mind-boggling that so many may have been infected before we knew it, but also unsurprising because the first confirmed cases popped up in places that you would not expect to see a virus first (such as an Orthodox Jewish community well north of NYC).
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Reblogged this on By Hook Or By Book and commented:
Here’s Brendan’s latest update from NYC. How sad is it that having under 500 deaths for three consecutive days, is good news?
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I’m so glad all is well for you and your family, Brendan, and hope it stays that way! You’re so right … it would be a shame to have spend 6 weeks in relative isolation only to open too soon and have it all have been for naught, with even more lives lost. Take care … love the pic!
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I hope it stays that way, too (and that the death toll can lower significantly soon). The curve needs to be flattened, which I don’t think has even happened in Georgia…and yet they’re planning to open things up more.
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Brian Kemp, Georgia’s governor, is an all-out bloomin’ idiot! I think that there will be a resurgence in all the states that open before June, or maybe even then.
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I hope you’re wrong about that, and that Georgia will do okay. I fear you will be correct.
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I hope I’m wrong too, but …
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Thank you for this update, Brendan. I have a number of friends in NYC and appreciate them. It is a really tough situation all round as in places where the infection rate and death rates are low, like in my country, people see the loss of jobs and income as the biggest factor. There is little appreciation of the fact that low death and infection rates are probably due to the lock down and could sky rocket once it is lifted. Have a good weekend.
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Yeah, people see the loss of jobs and the income as the biggest factor…unless your area has been hit hard with death (as my area has). Some places in the US are already looking to reopen, so hopefully we won’t end up with the spike in cases and deaths that I fear. Have a good weekend.
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You too, Brendan
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Those protests are pretty bizarre.
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They are very bizarre protests. They’re protesting against taking away “freedoms.” What freedoms? I guess the freedom to kill others with a disease you carry?
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I suppose…
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Glad to know that you and your family are doing well. These protests are not grass roots protests as some would have you believe, but are being funded by some large conservative groups. While I do understand that people are getting stir crazy and want to get back to “normal” it seems that they mostly don’t want to be inconvenienced rather than worry about the economy. They stage these protests stating that their rights and freedoms are being taken away, when they really just want a haircut(one example), so they want others mostly in the service industries to be in danger to service them. Sorry about the rant.
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It’s okay. I’m pretty upset about the protests as well. And I know there’s big conservative donor money behind the protests.
It’s like some people have forgotten about the hierarchy of needs. Right now we’re at the base level…just trying to survive. Hair cuts don’t fall at the same level as trying to survive. I understand frustrations from those who have lost jobs, but I think the anger should be placed with a government that isn’t (at least in my opinion) doing enough to help the less fortunate.
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Thank you for the ongoing update which is a lot clearer than phone calls with friends who are very interior focused who, since they are my age and work in the theatre are constantly dealing with AIDs nightmares and the reality that back-to-normal for Broadway and off Broadway will be a long time. HOwever, here in NH we got the crazy protestors — yep — “Live free or die” is the crazy motto and holding firm is the one thing this Republican governor is doing that I never expected — he’s broken with Trump publicly …may it last.
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