…to wear a fucking mask?

It’s July fourth, and, by some weird numbers thing, the number of deaths from the Corona virus recorded in Washington State since the start of the pandemic, 1,352, is noticeably close to the number of deaths in the good old U S of A, 1,362. At least I noticed, quite possibly because I click on the statistics first thing, every day, even before I check the buoy reports.

Oh, wait, that number, 1,362, lives lost; that’s from yesterday; real people who didn’t make it to this year’s celebration of national independence. The number of lives, so far, again, real people, is 131,509. That’s, like, more than two Vietnams (if we just count American lives), and, with the reported number of deaths worldwide at 525,491, America has the distinction of having… let’s see… yeah; about a fourth of the total deaths, world-wide, are Americans.

But, wait, of the deaths yesterday, worldwide, America has the 1,362 and the world has 4,136; so… yeah, more than a fourth. Moving up.

In confirmed cases for yesterday; let’s see: 219,036 for everyone else, 94,765 for us. So… bear in mind, I’m not really a numbers person… OH, SHIT, you have to multiply our number by approximately 2.3 to get the worldwide number of confirmed cases. That means, um, uh, well, it is bad.

America is first.

It doesn’t take a math genius to tell that, with many countries seeing (earning is more like it) a decline in cases, an end to the most severe part of the pandemic, we Americans just might have done something wrong. Or not quite right. I feel like I’ve been lucky; I haven’t been diligent enough, and still have managed to not get the virus.

Lucky. Add ‘not yet.’ It seems odd to me that people who believe all kinds of conspiracy theories don’t believe this is real; people who believe they are somehow protected by God or good genes or yoghurt or yoga are immune and are somehow too important or healthy or whatever to get this virus.

Common cold; ever had it?

OKAY, so I figure anyone who doesn’t believe their keeping socially distant or wearing a mask is something they’re willing to do has already stopped reading this; AND SO, here’s a drawing I did; and then felt a bit reluctant to post:

Wait, wait; maybe you don’t have to wear a mask OR maintain social distance: IF you can swear AND prove that you absolutely, positively do not have the virus, then… no, wait another second; I cannot absolutely, positively swear or prove the same thing.

So, obviously, I should, for your own safety, stay away from you. No problem; I can absolutely, positively swear I’ll keep my distance.

Meanwhile, Happy Independence Day!