Covid-19 Gameplan, USA

Is anyone else wondering what in the world is going on? Not just in the good ‘ole USA but in the world at large? In the midst of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, the world is undergoing a level of tragedy not experienced since WW2. Yet rather than coming together now — as we did then — we are acting separately and independently as cities, states and countries. In acting independently we are missing the opportunity to join forces, share resources and knowledge and develop a united front to destroy this insidious beast.

The bigger question is, how is it that the USA is suffering far worse from COVID-19 than virtually any other country in the world, both in terms of health and wealth? In the United States, we have over 1 million people infected with COVID-19 and have seen more than fifty-six thousand deaths. These numbers are staggering and mind boggling yet we are accepting them as the new normal to lose over 2 thousand Americans each and every day. These statistics are far worse than in any other country in the world — the US current case count is one third of the world’s total, yet we are self-congratulating? We are the world’s leader with technology and resources far superior to our friends and foes yet we are being crushed in terms of our health and our wealth? Yet for some reason, our deep failures are being brushed aside.

The best available case study in the management and mitigation of COVID-19 is South Korea. COVID-19 hit South Korea just before it hit the USA — and there, it hit just as hard, perhaps harder. Korea implemented the protocols below and, as of this writing, South Korea’s total infection count was capped at 10,000 (compared to 1,000,000,000+ in the USA), with total deaths reported at less than 150 (compared to 56,000+ in the USA). So, South Korea’s total known infection rate at this writing is one hundred times lower than ours and their death rate is three hundred and thirty-three times lower than ours. In a single day we have more new infections here in the US (average of 25,000) than So Korea has in total.

What is more amazing is that South Korea never shut down their economy. Why? Because they were prepared. They responded early and aggressively. The result is obvious from a health perspective but the economic distinction hits hard — in the U.S., the pandemic is catastrophic but the economic destruction is equally as horrific is not worse. The only known cure for the pandemic is to starve it — without human hosts, the pandemic dies. So, we isolate ourselves. But this medicine has gutted the economy and our social systems. Is the medicine worse than the disease? Are we offering the full doses of the right medicine? Or, to put bluntly, are we are meandering in ignorance, while the ideal prescription is right under our noses? The numbers speak for themselves.

Health Response in USA:

We have missed virtually every opportunity to deal with the health threat of SARS-CoV-2 and continue to fumble along, ignoring the obvious protocols that science and time have shown are effective at minimizing the disastrous effects of this insidious virus. Fundamentally, we are a data-driven society, yet currently our data is sorely lacking. So, South Korea is the gold medal winner in terms of a response. This is what they did that we are not doing — and to crush COVID-19, we simply must:

1. Do FREE mass testing for both the active virus and antibodies. Who is sick? Who was sick? Less than two percent of the country has been tested but we are gaining data points. New information is starting to emerge which shows that far more US citizens have been infected than was thought initially. This is very good news because it means, among other things that more people have survived implying a lower mortality rate and far closer to herd immunity that we believed.

2. Trace cases using mobile apps: Who was sick? Where were they? Where are they currently? This is an obvious strategy — we use GPS and phone data all day, every day. Why not use our mobile devices and data as a defense in this war? So Korea did to maximum effect.

3. Mandate isolation, both for those who have COVID-19 and for those most at risk. This is not optional and more importantly, not needed across the board. If we have the testing and tracing

4. Maintain common protocols:

a. All persons must wear a mask when out and about, must maintain social distance, and must practice physical hygiene.

b. We should not re-engage without a definitive paradigm shift, including requiring social distancing, the use of personal protective equipment, and other defensive measures.

c. We must disinfect public places. This is a “no-brainer.” The reasons as to why we aren’t already engaged in this as a national strategy are confusing.

d. Measure the temperatures of persons entering buildings and public spaces.

e. Implement a certification program that will determine if an individual is safe to return to work, either because they have the antibodies to COVID-19 or they are not infected.

The US economy has been shuttered for well over one month and we are still not at all prepared to re-open, despite what some states plan on doing. Yes, we need to get back to work and the answers to doing so safely are quite simple. Why are we not following the examples of those countries that have been highly successful in crushing the virus? Continued delay in implementing the basic protocols noted above is, frankly, dumbfounding. The continued delays will ratchet up both the negative health consequences and financial damage.

Wealth (Economy):

We have been funneling money into the economy at an unprecedented rate and Congress should be fully congratulated for their heroic efforts. It took two years during the last recession (2008) for Congress to affect even a portion of the “relief” Congress has provided in the last month. Unfortunately, our efforts here have been far less effective than they could have been. The fumbled health response is going to cost the US far more than it otherwise should have. We will likely see more stimulus packages before we are back in production.

The strategies and tactics the US could still undertake, both to limit the damage and to invest for maximum effects, are straightforward:

1. Maintain the credit markets, allowing for access to capital. The US government has done impressively well. In some ways, there is too much liquidity as the Fed has bought deeply into high yield bonds, causing way more risk than needed. We are pushing the envelope of moral hazard deeply now and big business and government are entangled. It will get messier as we progress down the road of unlimited bailouts.

2. Bailout consumers. Seventy percent of the US GDP is consumer-driven yet the consumer is receiving the smallest piece of the economic stimulus. We are spending trillions bailing out credit markets and big business and failing to place money in the hands of those that matter most. Canada led the way on easy, quick access to capital by consumers: a direct deposit of $2,000 every four weeks for those who qualify. In the US, there is a single payment of $1,200, which some people will not receive until September.

3. Provide relief packages to states and local municipalities. The devastation of the required response to COVID-19 (i.e., a nation-wide lockdown) is unprecedented. Without relief to states and local governmental entities, we will experience a wave of bankruptcies that is, frankly, unimaginable. We simply cannot allow this to happen. It is, again, mind-boggling that we are actively bailing out companies through the credit markets (buying their junk bonds) that should simply fail yet we are not moving forward with a bailout for cities and states.

4. Do not prop up zombie enterprise. Companies must be allowed to fail and although painful, it is a natural part of a capitalistic society. Zombie enterprises include those companies which are highly leveraged, subject to poor stewardship, and/or have massive inherent risk as an operating enterprise. Such organizations must be allowed to fail and enter into prepackaged bankruptcy. It is not the average American citizen who will suffer the majority of the losses; it is likely to be their lenders and equity holders. The giant hole in the income of both individuals and enterprises cannot be plugged with Quantitative Easing and taxpayer dollars. The Fed has dumped more than $6 Trillion into the economy already and frankly, we are still in the early innings.

“We are the Freaking USA” — We lead the world in just about all aspects, yet we are pitifully far behind the curve where responding to this pandemic is concerned. However, it is never too late to properly and appropriately engage. We can — and must — step back into the leadership role we have maintained for more than a century. Yes, we might step on toes along the way, and we may infringe on civil liberties in the process. We will have to make sacrifices but we are powerful, resilient, and stronger together than any other nation that has ever existed — ever.

I think it is clear that, at least here in the USA, we need to self-rescue. We cannot rely on our government(s) to create robust solutions, at least not yet. So, what can you do to protect yourself and those you care for, love, and support?

Manage your health:

Watch what you feed your body and mind. Your mind and body are deeply entangled. If you feed your mind daily doses of stressing news, etc. you are adversely impacting your immune system. Feed your mind content that is calming, supporting, funny, educational, and stress-relieving. My guess (and it is a guess) is that the vast majority of our great nation is addicted to watching perverted versions of the news. There is, in my humble opinion, not a single broadcast that is unbiased and factual. Stop, please! There is so much great content online that is supportive and not damaging to mind and body…seek it out!

We are in isolation. Another way to put this is that we are disengaged: It feels as if we are living in one never-ending long weekend. What do we do in our downtime? We relax our standards, eat too much junk food, and exercise rarely — especially when we are locked down and can’t access the gym, the outdoors, etc. Life is a choice, moment to moment. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to level yourself up, rather than level down…embrace it for all it is worth. You have been gifted time, how you use the time may very well define you. You have perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity to focus on you. IT isn’t just about you, but it begins with you and will extend and benefit from all those you care for and touch in your life. When you level up, you level up and inspire all those around you.

Your daily routine has been thrown into chaos and you are outside of all of your norms. Each moment of your day, every day of the week is massively different than it was as of 1 week ago. This is not necessarily bad news; when we are deeply challenged we are often forced to evolve and change happens. Today you are literally are forced to develop new habits and patterns. The good news is you have a choice: do you want to level up or spiral down? Do you want to fall into a pattern of turning on the TV and tuning out the world or do you want to use this time to begin building a new you, a new future and a new life; a life of health, wealth and happiness? You have what it takes, regardless of your current life situation. Take a peek at this: You Can

The most common phrase in our lives as of 3 weeks ago as I am too busy. Guess what, you are not likely to be busy now; how will you use the time that has been gifted to you? Make no mistake, this is a gift. Well, for many it may be a gift disguised as a huge challenge. Our greatest opportunity for growth comes when you are placed well outside your comfort zone. Embrace it and use it for all it is worth!

By far the easy and common thing to do during our periods of isolation is to stay inside, glued to the television. For some reason, our primitive minds want to see the carnage and bad news daily. You can certainly burn your days and nights glued to the news, many actually will. The hours will quickly turn to days, weeks, and months and this opportunity will have passed. The news media will do a great job of entertaining and sensationalizing in an effort to keep your attention. Life is short, do you want to burn months accomplishing nothing and falling into a destructive routine? The common thing to do is nothing, the extraordinary thing to do is to seize control and make intentional choices that will affect you, potentially for the rest of your life. Seriously, you have been given an extended period of time to grow and expand. Do this right and it can be a powerful and transformative period of your life.

Here is the thing; Life is a choice, moment to moment. Make better choices and make a better life! This starts immediately by cognitively choosing moment to moment rather than living a life on autopilot. Remember, your past is not an indicator of your future, your future begins now, at this moment, seize it.

Here are some recommendations thoughts shared by minds far greater than mine:

Begin by getting centered and mindful. For those that do not have a mindfulness practice, now is literally the perfect time to create one. The mental and physical benefits of meditation are very well documented and among things, can dramatically improve your immune system. For more information: Meditation

Make a power list. What are the things you have always wanted to do and be but had neither the time nor initiative to undertake? This pandemic has reminded us that life is precious and can be far shorter than we would like to believe. Make that list now. Without a clear vision of who you want to be and how you are going to get there, you are meandering in mediocrity. Mediocrity is overweight, on medications, living in a state of survival and stressed out, now more than ever. Don’t be mediocre, be extraordinary, and be an example of what is possible, now more than ever. Check this out: Make a list

Establish a schedule. Your schedule has been turned upside down so now is the perfect time to create one that reflects the person you choose to be. Again, the default for most is to use the spare time wallowing in frustration and fear watching the sensationalized news channels or binge-watching episode after episode. Check out the following: Schedule

Improve your diet and exercise routine. The vast majority of the world populous wish that they looked and felt better. You can, simply by deciding to make some progressive changes to your lifestyles. Build these changes into your routine and the changes will come progressively easier. Small changes will accumulate massively and will create what is known as a feedback loop. Essentially the better you feel, the better you want to feel. Take a look: Diet and Exercise

Sleep well. If you do not sleep well, engineer a solution, the resources are there for you. The benefits of sleep cannot be overstated. More importantly, the consequences of not sleeping can be catastrophic. For more information: Sleep

What you do now will potentially echo in eternity. If not for you, do it for those who depend on you … your family, employees, shareholders, your community. Don’t choose to fall victim to circumstances: Step up. Come alive. Be a part of the solution. Stay safe, sane, and strong. This too shall pass!