When did coronavirus arrive

The story has been that the first cases in Wuhan were in December and it arrived in the US in late January, so those of us who had corona-like symptoms in December had something else, not coronavirus. Now some folks have looked at satellite images and found a sharp spike in hospital visits in Wuhan starting in August, months before there should have been any corona.

Is there an explanation for the hospital visit spike? No, as a matter of fact, there is not. Do we know that the visits were corona related? No, we don’t and the Chinese deny that that spike was due to corona. Then again, it has become obvious that the Chinese have not exactly been honest about the corona outbreak. There was a spike in casket deliveries to Wuhan far exceeding reported corona deaths.

In December, I had a persistent cough, with little congestion and when I visited a doctor specializing in lung diseases in January, they found lung impairment beyond any that I had previously had. They did CT scans of my lungs and found scarring – pulmonary fibrosis. I was supposed to see a specialist, but that was about the time corona started to take off and I wasn’t able to schedule that.

Do I know what I had? No, I don’t and I haven’t been tested for corona. Most of my symptoms have cleared and I don’t want them sticking a q-tip all the way back to my brain. My symptoms at the time and the aftermath are consistent with corona. I am socially isolating and have been for some time, and I wear a mask in public, and have for some time.

For those people who had similar symptoms back in November and December and were told ‘you could not possibly have had corona’, I’d say, you just might have. I think the jury is out on that, based on the latest reports. Honestly, I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but I think the authorities could well be mistaken on the arrival of coronavirus.

Violence versus Nonviolence

I've seen some criticism for my commitment to nonviolent protest and my opposition to violence and rioting. I understand that sadly nobody paid attention when the protests were peaceful. Still, I feel that violence undermines our cause. To make real change, we need a majority of the people behind us. Clearly the far right never will be, but we need the help and support of the middle.

I want change. I want the police to be accountable for their violent acts. I want an end to the Trump regime and its support of racism. I will continue to speak out loudly for those things. While I understand the roots of the violence in the protests, I cannot condone that violence. I want Trump and his minions voted out in November and I want pressure on local and state governments to clean racism out of policing.

When the police do wrong, and they very clearly do, and all too often, I want them arrested and brought to trial for their acts. If we start locking up police for their abuse, the other cops will think twice before  brutalizing suspects. We must change, and we must have justice for ALL our citizens. Police, prosecutors, and judges who contribute or allow violence against people must be brought down - but without violence.