Loss – Week 12 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

It was Supposed to be Two Weeks

On March 16, 2020 our country entered “15 days to slow the spread.”

We are living in unprecedented times that will be historically important in the future. One day our ancestors will study this time when COVID-19 took over the world and marvel at the decisions that were made for us, choices we made, and how lives and the entire world changed.  The truth is that COVID-19 was just one aspect of the crisis that we found ourselves in. The economy was shuttered with business closures and the loss of jobs; we found ourselves in an extremely divisive political climate; lots of people experienced social and mental health issues.

Many have compared this pandemic to the Spanish Flu of 1918. While COVID-19 is not a flu, both are novel viruses. The Spanish Flu had 3 (maybe 4 waves) and lasted 2 years.  It is estimated that between 20 and 50 million people worldwide died. As of March 21, 2021 there were 2,708,557 confirmed COVID deaths worldwide with 122,736,841 confirmed cases. That continues to change daily of course and new variants are a concern.

(As an interesting aside, according to www.sciencedaily.com, “High aspirin dosing levels used to treat patients during the 1918-1919 pandemic are now known to cause, in some cases, toxicity and a dangerous build up of fluid in the lungs, which may have contributed to the incidence and severity of symptoms, bacterial infections, and mortality. Additionally, autopsy reports from 1918 are consistent with what we know today about the dangers of aspirin toxicity, as well as the expected viral causes of death.” Some doctors recommended that patients take 30 grams of aspirin; today we realize that 4 grams would be considered the maximum dose. Therefore some Spanish Flu deaths may have actually been caused by aspirin poisoning.)

In early March 2020, travel began to be restricted and entertainment and sports events were canceled. We had a Coble family hockey trip planned in Denver. As the trip loomed closer, we began to hear about COVID-19. We all agreed that Gary’s parents would stay home but the rest of us would go. Then right before the trip, the NHL canceled the game. We joked that our new hobby became canceling trips (two cruises, two Renaissance Faires, 3 trips, and Thanksgiving with the Kansas crew) and events (we generally were attending at least one Vegas event or Smith Center show each month before the pandemic hit). 

On March 17, Governor Sisolak ordered a statewide shutdown of casinos and all other nonessential business in Nevada for 30 days. Restaurants and bars were closed though people could still use the drive-through or have food delivered. Schools were closed and reopened overnight as distance learning centers, often without the infrastructure and certainly without the training and preparation needed for such an undertaking. Most employees (other than essential workers) began working remotely from home. All social activities were abruptly stopped and households isolated. When the shutdown was announced there was a run on grocery stores across the country and shelves were quickly emptied. (It became impossible to buy toilet paper, paper towels, bottled water, bread, pasta, rice, hamburger, etc. Disinfectant sales increased 216 percent in the first 10 days after COVID-19 was declared on March 11, 2020.) The shortages themselves caused a great deal of stress. People overreacted because of fear of the unknown.

The complete shutdown in Nevada actually lasted 78 days. After this time, some business were able to begin opening with lots of restrictions and limited capacity. During these 78 days of the shutdown, Las Vegas, Nevada was basically a ghost town. For a lark, one day we drove down the Strip. It was very eerie to see empty streets and sidewalks in a usually bustling city. (This 45 minute drive only took us 12 minutes with road construction and stop lights.) For a city that is tourist dependent this has proven to be tragic. According the U.S. Travel Association, “The travel industry’s U.S. economic output was estimated to have lost $1.1 trillion in 2020.”

Stories abound of people who have lost so much during this year. We personally have friends who contracted this virus (one of our friends was on the verge of being put on a ventilator) and a couple of former colleagues died. Others have lost jobs or had their job situation change. Some people lost their homes or had to move in with family. Our friends who are teachers have shared some of the stresses they and their students have endured while trying maneuver through distance learning. I have several friends whose children were seniors in high school and were not able to experience all those rights of passages that young adults typically have before starting on the next phase of their lives.

Now that vaccines are available, hope is on the horizon. We’re beginning to view the world as “before COVID, during COVID, and after COVID.” We’re beginning to see encouraging signs of recovery. While this has indeed been a year of loss in varying degrees for the entire world, optimism and opportunity is emerging. One lesson learned, “don’t take things for granted.”