Diary of a Coronavirus Junkie
I’ve become a coronavirus junkie. I read every article and medical report, and I scour Pubmed for research abstracts daily. As I read the news, I find myself vacillating wildly between horror, tears, and the deepest rage I have ever experienced in my life. I have never truly hated anyone before. But I do now.
This virus, that Trump so blithely compared to the flu, devastates the body. It prevents the air sacs in the lungs from working. A person can become severely hypoxic without even knowing it, because the lungs do not fill with fluid, and CO2 levels do not rise, even as oxygen levels fall dangerously low. This is called “silent pneumonia.” By the time a person with Covid-19 feels short of breath, it’s already too late. A respirator has little chance of saving them.
The virus also causes clots, which can travel to the heart and brain. It can cause organ failure in the heart, liver and kidneys. There are neurological complications as well. In all likelihood, the people who survive the severe form of the illness will have post-viral sequelae that may last a lifetime.
That’s the horror part. The rage part is every. single. thing. that comes out of the mouths of Trump, his sycophants, the GOP, and all the complete morons who support them. Morons is too kind a word. These are the Nazis of our era — people (and I use that term loosely) who do not give a damn about other human beings. There are those Nazis who are directing this genocide against Americans for reasons of sheer lucre, and there are those little on-the-ground Nazis whose petty sense of entitlement and absolute lack of any intelligence whatsoever makes them useful, if dangerous, dupes for the monsters in power.
The sorrow part, the grief that I feel when I contemplate the broken hearts of those who have lost their husbands, wives, parents, sisters, brothers, children, and friends to this pandemic, cannot be measured. There are no words.
Erica Verrillo is a writer and sane human being. She posts articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) on her blog, Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity. She posts her daily outrage on her Facebook page and on Twitter.
