Keith,
You have requested some comments regarding what Jo and I have been doing this past year of unprecedented chaos caused by the arrival of COVID-19 just over a year ago. Who could have guessed what all of our lives would be like during 2020?
I’m sure my experiences mirror those of most of my Delta Chi Alumni brothers. Shut downs, lock downs, mask wearing, social distancing and frequent hand washing. These things are worth mentioning because they are protective and will most probably be required even after many of us get vaccinated against the COVID virus.
I live in upstate New York State and it seems that most of our reaction has been dictated by a governor who is NYC centric. Last-year’s shutdown policies were vital for NYC and its environs. However, in rural New York State, not much happened regarding the virus and its spread until late summer and fall. It’s amazing how easy it was for the governor to obtain all of his emergency powers and continue to keep them to this day with very little discussion from our elected legislators.
Personally, I have witnessed some of the havoc caused by the COVID-19 virus. I am retired from my career as a general surgeon, but I continue to be a Steuben County Coroner, and as such, continue to investigate unattended deaths in the county. I have seen an increase in deaths caused by accidental drug overdoses. These deaths are typically in males between the ages of 20 to 45. They are rarely single-drug overdoses, but mostly a combination of heroin, fentanyl, and its cousins, methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol. Loss of jobs, loss of homes, insecurity, and depression seem to all be related to this drug death increase.
We are also seeing older people dying of previously diagnosed and previously treated chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and chronic pulmonary disease. Too often, these people were not followed up in a timely manner and so succumbed to their illnesses at home before returning to the doctor. For some, follow-up visits were prevented because of the state-wide lock downs. For others, hospital visits were restricted for the same reasons. It is predicted that in the future we will be seeing an uptick in cancer deaths, because those at risk have failed to take advantage of screening exams for breast, prostate, and colon cancers.
We will get past all of this and eventually morph into what is termed the “new normal.” I recall seeing a picture of fans at a Michigan football game in 1919 after the Spanish Flu epidemic, which killed many millions around the world. They were mostly wearing masks as they watched the game. But that mask wearing didn’t last very long. I was in Ann Arbor as a student in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s and never saw anyone wearing a mask while there.
The various vaccines are now arriving from their manufacturers and being administered to the most vulnerable populations. Some of us have been fortunate enough to avail ourselves of their protection. It certainly seems that they are quite effective in preventing COVID-19 disease and perhaps also effective in preventing us from even carrying around the virus in an asymptomatic mode.
I hope that Delta Chi’s of all ages avail themselves of a vaccine when offered. And, I urge those who, for whatever reasons, decide not to “take the shot” to reflect very carefully about the possible consequences. There is an old saying “ Those who live by the sword, will die by the sword.”
Robert E. Cole, MD
BA ‘62
Delta Chi “A” 59-60
