On the front lines

Like many of you, I am glued to news reports about the pandemic. Recently, there was a somber story about allocations of medical resources and who gets them. We all know about the scarcity of medical supplies and equipment for facing the killer virus and watch it on the daily news. We see the warriors on the front lines battling the infection to treat their patients. Doctors now have to triage patients for who gets treatment and who does not. It purports an impossible decision that is necessary to help as many people as they can. Yes, the time has come that puts human life in jeopardy assigning our limited resources to the most viable patients.

These front-line warriors are the bravest of the brave. Watching them walk into the war zone in news reports gives hope to the human spirit of dedication and self-sacrifice. They are masked and gowned, wearing gloves and eye protection, watching their brethren contract the killer virus, and some succumb to its devastation. Yet they keep showing up for work and do their jobs, sacrificing their own family life to stay in the fight. They have chosen to help those in need at their peril. They demonstrate the ultimate human dedication.

For me, watching news about the pandemic gives rise to my days as a soldier. Medical teams don their equipment just as we did getting ready for a mission. They have battle gear to keep them safe just as we did. We both fight an invisible enemy. While the virus strikes indiscriminately, our enemy purposely targeted us, trying to kill us. The virus is not trying to kill anyone but is trying to survive. The result is the same for warriors on the front lines.

As we progress through these days, many labs are working on a cure. Trials are in motion to test new treatments, and existing medication used with limited success. But at least there is progress. Shipments of medical supplies are reaching the hardest-hit areas. The stay-at-home order is flattening the curve, and we all are taking precautions like washing our hands, wearing a mask in public, and adhering to the 6-feet spacing.

Economically, the pandemic is devastating. The world is reeling from its effects. Will we ever recover? Of course, we will. Industry will be back in full swing after we beat the invisible enemy. It will take a couple of paychecks for families to get back to normal. Well, maybe more than a couple, but it will happen.

There was a cartoon recently here in the Press where a family was excited about the recent price drop for gasoline. Then they realized that they had no place to go. Well, my friends, get your service work done now since you have time, and get your car ready for travel. Be ready to head out when this pandemic ends. Start your engines!

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Jack Evensizer is a resident of Dalton Gardens.