We can't do anything about those in denial about how bad things are—and are going to get—either because believing what they believe dovetails with a political agenda or due to an understandable economic desperation. But things *are* bad—and getting worse. Stay at home if you can.
The bulk of decisions being made by institutions, organizations and governments are being made not to save lives but to protect jobs, financial interests and the economy. Hundreds of thousands of deaths are baked into this equation. Protecting you and your family is now 100% DIY.
There's almost no purpose in debating whether public health is at the forefront of public policy, because it's not and that's self—evident. The key now is for all of us to be *transparent*—with ourselves and one another—about the fact that our personal safety is in our own hands.
What that means is that we all have a new responsibility to educate ourselves about the facts to determine whether a given situation is safe for us and for those who we might infect if we ourselves were to get sick. We all need to become COVID-19 *experts*. It's just that simple.
We need to know that aerosolized coronavirus particles can travel 27 feet, per MIT. We need to know that such particles can hang in air upon being expelled from the body for 3 minutes, per a CNN report. We need to know that COVID-19 stays on nonporous surfaces for 3 days or more.
We need to know that the least safe spaces outside our homes are indoor spaces where coronavirus particles can spread via air conditioning or lack of airflow. We need to know that 25% to 75% of those with COVID-19 are asymptomatic, and will appear to us and themselves as healthy.
We need to know all potential COVID-19 symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, headache, chest pain/pressure, sore throat, muscle pain, shaking, chills, confusion, loss of taste/smell, bluish lips/face, inability to arouse, diarrhea, skin rash, red eyes, runny nose, fatigue.
We need to know that new research suggests that children are more in danger from COVID-19 than previously thought, as recently 64 cases of children with COVID-19 and what is called "pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome" have been located—an inflammation of the arteries.
We need to know that NBC News reports that some "recovered" COVID-19 patient are continuing to have severe COVID-19 symptoms even after conclusively testing negative for the virus. One Massachusetts woman interviewed by NBC News has now had a fever for 50 days and counting.
The point here *isn't* to be scared. The point is to be *informed*, *smart*, and *justifiably cautious*. But above all of that, the point is to not presume that the entities we've normally trusted are at this point capable of or interested in making public health-first decisions.
I'm not advocating anger toward these entities; there's no point in that now, here in the midst of a global emergency. The point is to focus on *yourself and your family*—and those you care about in your community—by *educating* yourself and staying as safe as you reasonably can.
Most of you reading this are already doing this. But circumstances have changed in the last week, as we're now being bombarded by messages from institutions, organizations, and governments that conflict with science, conventional public health policy, and our own personal safety.
