Thursday, January 30, 2020
Political Mayhem Thursday: Wuhan Corona Virus
First of all, before I get to anything else, I really have to comment on this Heathcliff panel. I mean... there's just a lot going on, right? Heathcliff is sick, but he is smoking a pipe for some reason. And he has hired a "fill-in" that appears to be a fully hairless cat with a paper-mache Heathcliff head-- why not get some kind of a regular cat? And wouldn't it be funnier if the "fill-in" was Garfield? Finally, what exactly is the fill-in filling if for? In forty years, Heathcliff never seems to have had a job. Weird.
So, there has been a mysterious outbreak in Northhampton, Massachusetts. Officials fear it might be the Smith-Corona virus.
Ok, sorry about that. I need to get on track.
Anyways, the Wuhan coronavirus seems like a very real danger to public health. Already, China has more cases of coronavirus (7700) than it did of SARS, a widely-feared epidemic in 2002-3 which killed over 500 people there (170 have died there of the coronavirus so far). This is serious-- schools in Beijing have been closed indefinitely, for example.
Some have been very critical of the Chinese response to the outbreak, which may have spread before officials took action. Now, of course, they are taking a lot of action: building temporary hospitals, isolating entire cities, and restricting transportation options.
Will it have an impact on the United States? Maybe not. But this is a crisis that requires a response with three attributes: international cooperation, focused leadership, and good preparation for this kind of emergency. We may well find out if our current government can pass this test.
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Smith-Corona Virus: Caused by intense nostalgia for mid-20th century office equipment. Main symptom is regurgitation of words all over paper. Only known cure is to inhale mimeograph stencil fumes until symptoms desist.
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