2,008,273: It's Not Just a Number


As I sit down to write this, the above number is the total of people who have DIED from Covid-19. Of that total, the United State "leads" with nearly 400,000 deaths. If you counted to just two million (at one number per second) non-stop it would you approximately 23 days.

These are not just numbers.  These are people.  Someone's mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin... Every one of those people MEANT something to SOMEONE.

I have said more than once that this pandemic would not be over until everyone on this planet (that would be around 7.7 BILLION) knew someone who died of Covid.  Not everyone would know someone who HAD Covid (I think that day has come and gone possibly multiple times), but has DIED of it.

Has someone you have known and possibly loved DIED of Covid?  If you say can say yes now, my condolences.  If you are someone who cannot say yes right now, know that the odds are against you and that the day will (most likely) come.  

If I am wrong on this front, I will be grateful.  I don't think I am or will be wrong.

So many lives lost.  So many people who have been or are, sick and suffering.  Sick and suffering ALONE.  Or maybe not, as I know that many healthcare workers are doing their best to comfort, but with the overwhelming numbers of cases how can they?  How can they continue to do the incredible work they that they do?  There was a time when at 7 PM every night my neighborhood went out and made noise to say thank you to those frontline workers.  We slowed down...we stopped.  I don't know why.  (I feel guilty that we did.) Perhaps it was because for a while there it seemed like things were slowing down...they are certainly not slow now.  Screaming "THANK YOU" at the top of my lungs doesn't seem to be enough.  God bless you is all I can write.

2,008,273 will be an obsolete number when I hit the publish button on this post.  The number will have grown.  As I type away more will have died.  I'm scared to think of what the number might actually be when this is (finally) over...I'm worried when I think how far off that day might be.

We can't stop the number from growing, but we CAN slow it down.  How large this number; how many people DIE depends on us and our actions.  We KNOW what we need to do:  stay socially distant, wear a mask (over the mouth AND nose), wash your hands and when it is your turn, GET the vaccine!  These SIMPLE tasks can save lives.  These tasks WILL SAVE LIVES.

Save a life. Do what's right.  And remember, 2,008, 273 is NOT just a number.

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