Liveblogging the plague
Mar. 13th, 2020 06:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabotabby I vacillate wildly between abject terror and—that other thing. It's neither relief nor hope, but rather a belief in a set of steps that need to be taken to reorganize our world in a way that is sustainable and just.
I woke up with a panic attack. The school closure thing hit me really hard.* I don't know if they're going to let us back in three weeks, to be honest.
Then I saw the picture of Bolsonaro in the hospital and I thought, well, he can't commit genocide against Indigenous peoples or burn down the Amazon right now, which is a good thing for said Indigenous people and those of us who enjoy breathing.**
And then I thought, what if my cats get sick(er)? Can I ensure that I have an adequate supply of Cocoa's kidney food? What if there's an emergency? Will the vets all be closed?
Even if younger, healthy people are mostly safe, there are many people in my life who are neither young nor healthy.
I always fantasize about having unstructured time off where I can just rest. I guess I'm getting it now. But that only works in contrast to the rest of the world proceeding as normal.
When this is over, am I even going to emerge into a world that requires my skillset?
I mean. I have anxiety. It's protected me up until last night, because I was so worried about other things that this whole thing registered as an Over There Problem. But it's finally hit me where I live in a very real way.
* This is the first thing the provincial government has done right and was absolutely the correct call. But I have serious doubts about their motivations for doing it, and their capacity to navigate a real crisis, because they are utter incompetents.
** Apparently the photo is from another time he was in the hospital. But he is being monitored for it. Regardless, he's probably too busy to do a genocide right now.
I woke up with a panic attack. The school closure thing hit me really hard.* I don't know if they're going to let us back in three weeks, to be honest.
Then I saw the picture of Bolsonaro in the hospital and I thought, well, he can't commit genocide against Indigenous peoples or burn down the Amazon right now, which is a good thing for said Indigenous people and those of us who enjoy breathing.**
And then I thought, what if my cats get sick(er)? Can I ensure that I have an adequate supply of Cocoa's kidney food? What if there's an emergency? Will the vets all be closed?
Even if younger, healthy people are mostly safe, there are many people in my life who are neither young nor healthy.
I always fantasize about having unstructured time off where I can just rest. I guess I'm getting it now. But that only works in contrast to the rest of the world proceeding as normal.
When this is over, am I even going to emerge into a world that requires my skillset?
I mean. I have anxiety. It's protected me up until last night, because I was so worried about other things that this whole thing registered as an Over There Problem. But it's finally hit me where I live in a very real way.
* This is the first thing the provincial government has done right and was absolutely the correct call. But I have serious doubts about their motivations for doing it, and their capacity to navigate a real crisis, because they are utter incompetents.
** Apparently the photo is from another time he was in the hospital. But he is being monitored for it. Regardless, he's probably too busy to do a genocide right now.
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Date: 2020-03-13 12:55 pm (UTC)I've got my own anxiety issues as detailed on my own account, of course. Maybe I manage them with lots of YouTube tutorials re: software I need to get caught up on for starters. (A form of "e-learning", that.)
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Date: 2020-03-13 09:51 pm (UTC)I have an online piano tutorial that I started and never finished. Guess there's no time like the present.
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Date: 2020-03-13 01:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-13 03:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-13 04:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-13 09:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-13 03:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-13 09:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-13 03:14 pm (UTC)I've long ago abandoned hope that I'd ever have "skillset" appropriate to a job; my only good qualities are that I can stay put and sometimes step up to the plate.
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Date: 2020-03-13 09:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-13 10:12 pm (UTC)Lore-keeper? Someone has to rebuild society.
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Date: 2020-03-13 10:21 pm (UTC)In terms of lore, sometimes, but my memory's not great.
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Date: 2020-03-13 04:20 pm (UTC)Would reading accounts from people who are in worse-off areas like Italy or China help? Reading these, including posts from a friend who lives in Italy, has helped a lot in keeping my perspective -- for example, in Italy you can technically go to supermarkets if you need to, you just have to keep at least 1 meter between you and others.
Things like shutting down schools (they did that here too) might sound scary but they're not doing this because of things already being terrible, they're doing it to keep them from becoming terrible. Kids/teenagers are apparently not an at-risk group for Covid-19, so it's more about avoiding contagion, especially to at-risk people they might come into contact with. That and making sure enough people stay healthy to assure important services.
I feel like for countries like ours the situation isn't really the worst, it's much worse in places like Iran or poor countries where even things like running water aren't as accessible.
That doesn't mean we shouldn't worry about ourselves and our loved ones, but I don't think panic helps.
If you want, I can share with you what we've been doing to prepare, including pet-related things like medical and diet stuff.
I wouldn't worry about your skillset. The black plague wiped out a really large percentage of Europe and European civilization and society didn't collapse. It's unlikely that most people will die as a result of this so I think there's a good chance that things will stay similar afterwards.
I'm sorry if this doesn't help. Lots of hugs to you, I 100% understand the fear.
EDIT: I forgot to say, if you end up having lots of free time, we could collaborate and make something cool together if that would help you keep your mind off things! It could be fun.
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Date: 2020-03-13 10:03 pm (UTC)Would reading accounts from people who are in worse-off areas like Italy or China help? Reading these, including posts from a friend who lives in Italy, has helped a lot in keeping my perspective -- for example, in Italy you can technically go to supermarkets if you need to, you just have to keep at least 1 meter between you and others.
Reading that China plateaued helped. Reading accounts from Italy made me burst into tears. Reading about Taiwan and Singapore's success at containment helped the most.
The shutdowns are scary. Even though it's the right thing to do, it's uncertainty. And in my job, a main thing I have to do is reassure anxious kids, who are very, very anxious right now. So I do that, and then I want to cry.
The fear isn't so much about me being personally at risk, but for medically fragile and older people around me, basically. And that governments will use this as an excuse to go Shock Doctrine.
If you want, I can share with you what we've been doing to prepare, including pet-related things like medical and diet stuff.
This is actually my main fear. The cats have tons of food—I stocked up because even during normal times, the vet sometimes runs out of kidney food. I have enough appetite stimulants for Cocoa to last around 6 months at the rate of one pill a week, but sometimes she needs more than that. But, if she gets sick and the vet is closed or overrun, there is fuck-all I can do. Today, for whatever reason, hasn't been a good day for her, so it's adding to my worry.
I wouldn't worry about your skillset. The black plague wiped out a really large percentage of Europe and European civilization and society didn't collapse. It's unlikely that most people will die as a result of this so I think there's a good chance that things will stay similar afterwards.
My skills are already on their way to being outdated; like, this is already something I was worrying about. It's a long-term worry but it exists. I was kinda looking forward to somehow riding out the next 16 years and retiring.
EDIT: I forgot to say, if you end up having lots of free time, we could collaborate and make something cool together if that would help you keep your mind off things! It could be fun.
I will have a lot of free time! I do have a long list of tasks, but it would be awesome to collaborate on something.
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Date: 2020-03-13 10:25 pm (UTC)Wait, how so? It seems like things are fairly calm, especially in places like Rome.
Reassuring the kids sounds really difficult. :/ I think here everyone's handling it well in that regard.
The fear isn't so much about me being personally at risk, but for medically fragile and older people around me, basically. And that governments will use this as an excuse to go Shock Doctrine.
Oh, for sure. I'm scared shitless for my family and worried about political or social things going wrong. I've just been focusing on the basics and taking it one day at a time. If society goes sideways, that's a bridge we'll cross when we come to it. There's no guarantee that anything much will happen (I think politics are the same as usual in Italy, for example) so I feel like stressing about it will just wear me down. If nothing happens I will have stressed out for nothing. If something does happen, I'll have a clearer mind and more strength, if that makes sense.
Do you have any way of getting more pills for Cocoa?
I don't think this will necessarily last 6 months or that you need to plan for 6+ months already. We've been using a month as a general figure -- if things change we can always change that plan ASAP.
We've stocked up on pet food, cat litter, etc. We also have a pet emergency kit (similar to a human's) but that's not because of coronavirus, it's just a good idea in general. I've read before that if you live by yourself or something, it's a good idea to make arrangements in case you get sick and need to go to the hospital and keep a card with that information in your wallet.
I think you could stock up on them. Also, have you asked your regular vet and 1-2 backup ones what they're planning on doing? Maybe that could help you figure out how much your routine will change. Anyway, I think it's likely that vets will be working as usual or will have some plan for emergencies. Animals don't get the virus so I don't think vets will be more overrun than usual. I think our pets are actually safer than we are right now!
It sounds like the hardest animal for people in quarantined areas are dogs, because even though people (in Italy, at least) get to go outside to walk them, it's harder to give them enough exercise.
Let me know then :) We could make a game or a comic or write something.
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Date: 2020-03-13 11:28 pm (UTC)Not from what I read. I read an account from a hospital worker who says that for people over 65, they're just not treating them. And there are families with their loved ones' corpses at home because there's no one to collect the bodies.
So the issue with Cocoa is that she just had a medical crisis that lasted months, involved prolonged stays in the hospital, and involved her being on saline and oxygen. In the event of a serious outbreak here, those supplies are going to be needed for humans. And, morally speaking, humans are more important, but this cat is my fucking world.
Let me know then :) We could make a game or a comic or write something.
Oh, remember that thing we used to do with the DJ channels? That would be fun.
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Date: 2020-03-14 12:00 am (UTC)I meant the situation in Italy for people who aren't infected, especially areas outside the North.
I think the situation there is very, er, specific. For one thing their medical system is a broken mess, as bad or worse than ours. Yours is way more organized. Italy also took FOREVER to start doing anything about it even after the first cases. It's also the country with the oldest population, so out of people who get it the % of old people is higher than elsewhere. There's other stuff too, I can link tomorrow. In other countries like Germany etc. Things are going way more smoothly.
For perspective, I once helped call emergency for someone in Italy. The paramedics who showed up were these very old, very rickety guys. Ofc that,s a recipe for disaster.
About Cocoa, yeah, that sounds scary. :( Do you think you could stock those supplies? I'm rooting for her to stay healthy during all this. So many hugs to both of you. And I get what you're saying about her being your world, I agree.
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Date: 2020-03-14 12:54 am (UTC)This said, we don't have the demographics or the smokers that Italy has. And the shutdowns, while scary, are what kept things containable in Taiwan and Singapore. So I have some confidence that it won't hit us as badly.
But—and here is the scary thing. We share a border with the US, and there's a ton of back-and-forth travel and trade. The vast majority of the Canadian population lives near the border.
And the US is not going to be able to contain it. They haven't. They don't have a healthcare system, they don't have anyone competent in charge, they're pulling Iran-level coverups of how bad it is, and it's not like viruses respect national borders. So even if we are really sensible—and I do think that the measures we're taking are good ones—we have that in the mix.
My best friend is a doctor in Seattle. Admittedly, she's a psychiatrist, but she works with an elderly, medically frail, housing-insecure population. She hasn't been writing much because she's obviously ridiculously busy, but what she's said has just been awful. So I'm worried for her (fortunately she's not in a high-risk group) but I'm also thinking of populations where this can just explode.
Like we have a broken shelter system. The city has finally agreed to quarantine homeless people in hotel rooms, which they could have done all along and should be doing now, because the shelters and the streets are already disease vectors for everything else.
Teal deer: Europe has a much more intact social safety net than North America, and even though Canada is in better shape than the US, Ontario, where I live, has been in ongoing crises that could potentially make things really bad.
About Cocoa, yeah, that sounds scary. :( Do you think you could stock those supplies? I'm rooting for her to stay healthy during all this. So many hugs to both of you. And I get what you're saying about her being your world, I agree.
I'm going to do another run to my vet. I have the needles and saline bags are $30, so I can buy one and keep it in the fridge just in case she needs it. Though she finally did eat and drink on her own today, so I think it might just have been that she didn't like her wet food today for some reason.
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Date: 2020-03-14 04:34 pm (UTC)Our shelter system is broken too and it was depressing and hilarious that SUDDENLY the government and charities were stepping up to give them shelter. It's just so transparent that there's money and space for this, it's just that people dgaf until the "general public" is at risk.
You're right about Italian demographics and the shut downs. Italy took forever to start shutting things down, which doesn't seem to have helped.
Ugh yes I totally forgot about the border you share with the US. I have no idea how they're managing to handle things so badly, they're basically the richest country so it's inexcusable. The weirdest thing to me was the debate about whether testing should be free, I just ???? I'm under the impression that many of the politicians who are against that kind of thing get voted for by lots of elderly people, so why they'd want to get their own voters killed, I'll never know.
Have you considered building a border wall?
I'm so sorry about your friend :( I hope she stays safe and gets through this well.
I'm glad you managed to get those things! And thank you for remembering this, we'll also look into this just in case.
*hugs*
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Date: 2020-03-14 09:46 pm (UTC)I was listening to a podcast today where they had on a guy who did safe injection site work. And he was basically like, "oh, now we're concerned about epidemics?"
Ugh yes I totally forgot about the border you share with the US. I have no idea how they're managing to handle things so badly, they're basically the richest country so it's inexcusable. The weirdest thing to me was the debate about whether testing should be free, I just ???? I'm under the impression that many of the politicians who are against that kind of thing get voted for by lots of elderly people, so why they'd want to get their own voters killed, I'll never know.
They're a virus bomb waiting to explode. They're not getting good information and their government is deliberately letting them die. They refused testing kits! And yeah, this may cause a mass die-off of the Republican-voting population, in which case I'd be all critical support for conrad virus, except that it's also going to kill people who don't deserve it.
Have you considered building a border wall?
I know our government, and Mexico's, is talking about closing the border, which a) irony! and b) should have been done as soon as it came out that Trump refused free testing kits because he thought it would bring down his re-election chances.
I'm glad you managed to get those things! And thank you for remembering this, we'll also look into this just in case.
Struck out on the fluids and needles (long and not very interesting story); I'll give it another go at the other vet's on Monday. In the meantime I think it was just that particular can again because I opened up a new can and she ate a decent bit of that.
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Date: 2020-03-14 11:30 pm (UTC)He's got a really good point!
They refused testing kits!
WHAT. I thought they had a new vote and they agreed this time? American politics is too confusing and weird to me.
in which case I'd be all critical support for conrad virus, except that it's also going to kill people who don't deserve it.
Same. I feel really sorry for people who didn't vote for these assholes and are vulnerable through no fault of their own.
If Canada and Mexico close their borders with the US, I can't wait for Trump's reaction. It might be hilarious and beautiful, and a true silver lining.
I think Monday's fine and that's a good call. I'm glad it was probably just that can! Is it shedding season there? That could be a factor too, mine have weird days like that sometimes during shedding season even with 500 different anti-hairball products. Understandable, really, I don't know about you but I wouldn't have much of an appetite if I felt itchy and kept accidentally eating my own hair.
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Date: 2020-03-14 11:38 pm (UTC)I think they finally agreed, but they refused the first round, leading to a fatal delay in containing this.
If Canada and Mexico close their borders with the US, I can't wait for Trump's reaction. It might be hilarious and beautiful, and a true silver lining.
Same. The current Mexican government seems pretty sensible, so they might. I am truly worried about asymptomatic carriers on Spring Break.
I think Monday's fine and that's a good call. I'm glad it was probably just that can! Is it shedding season there? That could be a factor too, mine have weird days like that sometimes during shedding season even with 500 different anti-hairball products. Understandable, really, I don't know about you but I wouldn't have much of an appetite if I felt itchy and kept accidentally eating my own hair.
I think it was actually that particular can of food. Sometimes they get a can that they don't like. Sabot didn't want to eat it either, though also sometimes she mirrors whatever Cocoa does.
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Date: 2020-03-13 11:41 pm (UTC)I'm planning on taking a lot of baths.
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Date: 2020-03-14 12:43 am (UTC)My cats
Books
Writing
Making art
Baths
Watching TV
Eating noodles
Taking long walks with my headphones in and not talking to anyone
If it weren't for the whole "people getting sick and dying" thing I'd be in fucking heaven right now.
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Date: 2020-03-15 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-15 06:29 pm (UTC)