Avoid – SARS-CoV-2 Virus – COVID-19 Pandemic – For the Elderly
The New Normal

The COVID-19 pandemic has unalterably changed all of our lives for quite some time to come. In fact, it will be with us from now on.  It has killed millions and sickened many millions more. And for the foreseeable future, it will continue to maim and kill.

We really have to understand, this thing kills people!

Though most younger people completely recover from COVID-19, the type of pneumonia that is often a result of the virus can cause permanent damage to the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, especially with older people. The resulting scar tissue can lead to long-term breathing problems. The same is true for the heart as well as other vital organs.

The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not something someone voluntarily does such as smoking which can eventually cause cancer. It’s more like driving under the influence which can lead to death not only to the driver but to other innocent people as well. The primary issue with COVID-19 is the unsuspecting person can very easily spread this virus. It's highly contagious. If we who are older and are exposed to even one cell of the virus, it can rapidly multiply and spread throughout the lungs and eventually other parts of the body.  Then we become another statistic.

The figure 510,000 literally means nothing to most people. This is the number of US deaths from COVID-19 reported by the CDC on February 25^th 2021. Like So many other statistics, it's just a number. But...

Men, women and children have died who wouldn’t have otherwise died if there was no COVID-19. It’s in the same league as the 40,000 automobile deaths that occur each year in the US. It’s just another number – one might call these acceptable losses. Few people seem to take it seriously.

Is it true, the more of something there is, the less value it has?

Estimated World Population: 7,848,561,109 people as of 9:30 am, Thursday February 25^th 2021.

People, however, have to go on about their daily lives. Though many fail to take seriously this disease, there are many more who do feel apprehensive about doing what is required to live in society as it is now. For these people, I feel.

I’m 71 and my wife and I are alone and fearful. Like billions, our world has been turned upside down. We’re shut-in and my wife does not want us to go anywhere. We can no longer go and do the things we use to enjoy. Why?

2021 CDC Statistics for the Risk of COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, and Death by Age Group

5-17 year olds are the reference control group. All rates are relative to the 5-17-year age category. Sample interpretation: Compared with 5-17-year-olds, the rate of death is 45 times higher in 30-39-year-olds and 7,900 times higher in 85+-year-olds. Compared with 18-29-year-olds, the rate of hospitalization is 8 times higher in 75-84-year-olds (55 divided by 7 equals 7.9). As of 2/25/2021

A significant number of people 65 and older will die if they contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Unlike the president of the United States and other very wealthy people, we will not be afforded the medical attention necessary to combat this virus. Basically we are on our own. Sure we will get medical care, but nothing like what is necessary to assure our survival much less our good health. We’re not young and unlike when we were 25 and got the flu, we will at best be permanently injured lessoning our quality of life as well as our longevity.

Note. Our overall health is a factor in determining how well we will do if we contract the disease.

So, the thing we need to do is to avoid the virus altogether.

The SARS-CoV-2 Story

Shi Zhengli (The Bat Woman) – In 2019, this Chinese virologist claimed to be a researcher looking into the cause of the November 2002 SARS-CoV-1 virus at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan China. It is believed her and her colleagues had taken samplings of the SARS virus from various species of bats and were cultivating them to determine the root cause of the SARS-CoV-1 virus.

Coincidently, in December 2019, there was an initial outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that was believed to have occurred in a Wuhan wet market within two hundred meters of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Weather it was an accidental release, a result of a contamination in the market place or was deliberately released, today we have what politicians call, “The New Normal” where we (the entire planet) will be living with this deadly virus – from now on. It is doubtful this virus will ever be totally eradicated.

Regardless of the origins, SARS-CoV-2 has had a profound effect on the world, motivating the majority of people to look towards centralized governments for answers. Those who proselytize human ingenuity and independence are covertly if not overtly swept aside and vehemently discredited.

You-know, from a cold-hearted earth-first technical social-science prospective, there are those who cynically believe this is a needed virus. It is in essence weeding out the weakened dependent population, forcing centralization, and building the framework for significant human control.

Sorry, I absolutely do not believe this.  I view every life as precious. This is how I live life and how I treat other people.

The really sad thing about all of this is no one will really be held accountable for all of this. There are the millions who’ve died and the hundreds of millions who got sick, much less the countless billions who financially lost so much.

As one of the countless elderly who really knows what's going on, I ask, what do we do? Do we change the way we do things, how we live? Or do we just give up and drink the Kool-Aid?

So, how do we as 70-year-olds live in this mess? We need to stop looking towards government to solve this dilemma. My wife and I have been waiting for over a year now.

Then, what do we do?

• First and foremost, we squelch our fears. Fear is contrary to making and keeping a good life.
   
  
• Secondly, get vaccinated. Every year, a vaccination regiment is necessary to avoid the possibility of contracting and spreading any of these viruses.
   
  
• Thirdly, we sterilize anything that is brought into our home. Whether this be the mail, packages or groceries, we clean and disinfect whatever it is. If we can’t sterilize it, we quarantine the items for at least two weeks.
   
  
• Next, we learn how the financial system works. We study and learn how to monitor, grow and maintain our investments. We vigilantly adapt to the ever changing economic system and quickly adjust to the unpredictable highs and lows of the ever fluctuating monetary systems.
   
  
• Debt Freedom: Life is so much better if one is out of debt and avoids debt of any kind. Debt is a fixed constant and does not change with the ups and downs of everyday life. Unforeseen circumstances can and will tax a person’s financial wellbeing. This includes the inevitable medical costs most people our age must endure. So in these fluctuations, debt can and will increase the stress on the quality of life.
   
  
• Maintenance: We learn how to become resourceful. This means learning a lot about independent living including how to fix things. There are lots of YouTube videos and a bunch of other teaching resources that are still freely available. With all the increases in taxation and regulations, the costs of having others do things for us will no doubt become even more exorbitantly expensive.
   
  
• Sustenance: Cooking not only healthy food, but food fit for a restaurant. There are hundreds of thousands of recipes available on line and in thousands of cook books that can be found in thrift stores.
   
  
• Healthcare: We figure out how to get the proper medical attention. But more than that, we take charge of our bodies and minds. This includes eating right, getting plenty of rest and most of all, regular exercise – and we work with our minds to prevent illnesses.
   
  
• Abode: We make a good home with lots of things to do. I mean, do things we like to do; make things, studying, etc. However, we need to avoid lengthy TV watching, extreme news sources, social media cruising, etc.
   
  
• Companionship: We take the time to form and keep good and trusting friendships within a reasonable distance of our homes. People who help each other live much longer and happier lives.
   
  
• Finally, there’s no more important safety rule than to wear these: when we go out, we properly wear a mask that will measurably block the virus.

This we have to do. Change is hard. But suffering and prematurely dyeing is even harder.

Don't wait for things to happen.  Make things happen.

Unless scientists develop a cure for this virus, we’re going to become a home based culture. By this, I mean, we cannot just go out every time we get a whim. This increases the risk of infection. Also, we will need to avoid large gatherings. This includes long exposure to unknown people such as would be experienced on an airplane, in a theater, a sporting event, etc.

Again, when we do go out, we need to wear a good mask.

Maybe younger people can tolerate an infection, but older people like us will suffer and have a much higher probability of dyeing – if not, our quality of life and longevity will be diminished.

In closing, is there a just and merciful God? If there is, then God, please help us all.

Stephen, February 25^th, 2021