In the next 12 hours, we will surpass 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. That means more American lives have been claimed by this virus than any individual event except for the pandemic of 1918 and the Civil War; both of which will likely be usurped by COVID by early summer
This is not meant to undercut any of the amazing work that the Biden administration is doing to set us on a path to recovery. It is just an undeniable fact that we must face because we had worse than no leadership when this hit us; we had someone actively sabotaging our response.
We are struggling with so many overlapping crises right now that mental health professionals are finding it difficult to differentiate clinical anxiety and depression from simply the normative response that we should be experiencing from the incalculable losses we have suffered.
The main thing that isn’t getting talked about amidst all of this is the toll that this crisis has taken on all of us. Even those who haven’t personally lost a loved one have been impacted. Personally I feel like we were suffering from some degree of PTSD before COVID even hit.
The amount of loss we are currently facing is simply beyond what we are capable of processing as human beings. I can say the words “500,000 deaths” a hundred times and still be unable to truly grasp the epidemic of grief that we are being forced to contend with as a nation.
Please know that if you are suffering right now, you are not alone. You are seen. Your feelings are valid. Millions are grieving with you and professionals are working tirelessly across the country to provide you with resources and support. I am proud to be one of those people.
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing a guide for those grieving in the wake of COVID-19. This was put together by one of the nation’s leading experts on grief & loss and will be available online for free for anyone who may benefit from it. I look forward to sharing it with you.
Tomorrow’s @nytimes front page. Every dot represents a life lost. 
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