Local and national public health officials could say “we told you so,” but what would be the point?
The coronavirus will go where it can, in as many ways as it can, for as long as it can, until it can’t.
Your family can’t stop it, your co-workers can’t stop it, your church can’t stop it. This is one time where individuals must be selfish to stop the spread of the virus to themselves, and to be generous to prevent it from spreading to others.
Health officials warned that cold weather, when fewer people can be outside, would increase the virus spread, and that large family gatherings – like Thanksgiving celebrations – would do the same. Together, they were a lethal combination, they said.
Although the numbers from Thanksgiving won’t be known for several days – since symptoms may not begin until up to 14 days after exposure – the country and the county are already experiencing worsening numbers. Indeed, the county broke five records Wednesday – number of new infections (467), active cases (2,419), hospitalizations (147), intensive care unit patients (43) and average of new cases per day (267).