“I have Covid-19.”
That was the text from a good friend. I knew she had been sick. She even suspected it. Still, a text like that gets your attention.
Seconds later, a FaceTime call. There she was. In the hospital. In a mask. Scared to death.
She’s been a friend for years. Part of my family, really. There she was. In a hospital bed. On oxygen.
After President Trump got back to the White House from his weekend at Walter Reed, he said, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.”
Tell that to my friend in the hospital. She’s in there alone and has no idea what’s ahead. “Don’t be afraid of Covid.”
I guess I hoped the president’s Coronavirus diagnosis might change things. That we might finally start the process of taking this seriously as a country.
I was wrong.
Instead, nothing has changed. In fact, it may be worse. A missed opportunity.
My friend is getting the standard treatment in the hospital. The President got the best. “Don’t be afraid of Covid,” he says…
Amanda Kloots is the widow of Nick Cordero. He’s the Broadway actor that died from Covid complications. She posted a video on Instagram telling President Trump to “have some empathy.” Kloots is now raising their baby alone. “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.”
This is a hard sell, Mr. President.
I truly hope President Trump is okay. I don’t want anyone else in his circle to get sick. I don’t won’t anyone else to get sick. Period.
The reality, though, is more people will get sick from Coronavirus. More people will die.
That’s the part of all of this I don’t get.
We had a chance early on to get a handle on it. We didn’t. We chose to not fear it… to not let it dominate our lives. Now, here we are.
For me, the truth about Covid is this: I fear it. It dominates my life.