WORDS FIRST
As I write this in the fi rst week of March, the U.S. has suffered its fi rst 6 deaths from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The number of infected Americans has passed 100, and both numbers are sure to be significantly higher by the time the ink on this page dries.
For the last 6 to 8 weeks, this viral outbreak has been leading the news and there have been lots of “experts” who have been paraded in front of TV cameras and radio microphones espousing a variety of opinions. Some would say that all the coverage has instigated a panic and that this has led to shortages of N95 masks and other items thought to be useful to those who want to protect themselves from the threat. Many of us have seen store shelves emptied of their normally plentiful supplies of water, rice, beans, hand sanitizer and other items that would be good to have in quantity should the supply chain snap a link or two.