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2020-04-10

The Balcony: My Families Sanctuary

During the first, and most unknown parts of the pandemic, my family and I were in a small apartment in Miami. There was less information about the pandemic, so we weren't really leaving the house for anything, and our only access to the outside world was a small balcony. We had never really used the balcony, or the apartment for that matter, but it was a safe place where we could regain our sanity at the end of the day, together. Whether this was my mom and I reading our books, or my entire family watching the sunset, listening to music, and talking, we could not have made it through those first few months of the pandemic without this outside space.

2020-04-10

Getting Health Care through the Covid Madness

At the beginning of 2020, I started to experience a dull, nagging pain in my lower right abdomen. Didn't think too much about it at first, but it kept showing up and then it didn't go away. I made an appointment to get it checked out and was told, "Well, I don't know what it is, so we'll get an ultrasound". Got an ultrasound and nothing was found. Next, I went to the OBGYN and received a full pelvic exam. Was told, "Well, everything looks good, just walk more and drink fluids". This took about a month to see two separate doctors and receive the ultrasounds. The pain persisted and the symptoms got worse. It wasn't just a dull ache, but now cramping, exhaustion, trouble with bowel movements, and the pain moved north to my upper right side, under my ribs and into my back. I was worried and scared. I was referred to a Gastroenterologist and had to wait two months. Two months with terrible symptoms. When I finally got in to see my GI, she seemed positive and wanted to get things moving along. I got blood tests done and when they came back, it showed that I had high TG levels for gluten. In other words, signs for Celiac Disease. To diagnose it, an upper endoscopy with biopsy of my intestines was needed. Another month of waiting. A week before my scheduled endoscopy, the hospital called and cancelled my appointment because of Covid-19. I was furious. They were not accepting patients and most all procedures were stopped. Don't get me wrong, I take Covid seriously and I do my best to social distance, I wear my mask everywhere, and I'm crazy about sanitizing, but I was so angry that my extremely important procedure was cancelled. At this point, the symptoms were agonizing and I was forced to wait. After a couple weeks I emailed my doctor and explained to her that things were getting worse and I didn't know what to do at this point or how to take care of my body. I got a call within a week and was told that my case was reviewed and that an endoscopy would be scheduled for me. Huzzah! About two weeks after that I finally got my diagnosis, and yep, I have Celiac Disease. Trying to figure out what was wrong with my body during Covid was a nightmare. I only shared the basics of what happened, but there was a lot of pain, tears, and fear. If it was something more serious that needed more immediate help I would have been screwed. I am still dealing with my disease and I still have my bad days. I unfortunately am still unable to go see my doctor as it is all online which makes it feel so impersonal. For all those having to schedule appointments and see doctors, good luck!

2020-04-10

Grateful For An Injury

In early April of this year, I had driven to the oceanfront for a few hours of morning surfing. The weather the previous day created ideal swells. Growing up in and around the ocean, surfing has always been a way of life for me. After several sets and a few hours, I proceeded in to the beach and stepped on an embedded oyster shell. At first, it felt like a bad bruise, but it was a horrible gash on the bottom of my right foot. I knew after looking that I needed stitches. I wrapped my foot in a towel, limped off with my board, secured things as best I could, and drove myself to the nearest ER. I was checked in, placed in a room, etc. Since the wound was not bleeding profusely, my foot was placed in a basin of antibacterial solution. After the preliminaries of great care, I waited for the doctor. The door to my room was slightly cracked open, at least enough to hear much activity in the main ER area. And I waited. Over the next several hours, the ER became a flurry of chaos. But it was not what what I could see, but could hear with the door nearly closed. Multiple patients were brought in by ambulances with breathing difficulty. The rooms filled up and some stretchers started lining the halls. A nurse poked her masked face in every so often to ask how I was doing. As i waited, i learned that I was a low priority, and rightfully so. I was not dying, nor gasping for breath. I kept hearing "God! I can't breathe!" These were the sounds of the early pandemic in April. Male and female voices, struggling through broken sentences, vitally needing air under the acute distress of COVID infection. With nothing to read, and no phone (my beach excursions do not entail smartphones because of sand), I became increasingly aware of audible sensations and the suffering of others trying to breathe. Over the next few hours, I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude; not because of my injury, but because I could breathe. I knew my foot would be fine with some stitches and maybe a tetanus shot, and I was, wth some crutches later upon discharge. Yes, incomplete sentences imply breathing problems, but gasping and cursing, just the struggle to live for oxygen, is what the early pandemic taught me in the ER—to be grateful for just a foot injury and excellent medical care. I was not dying, but other patients were fighting acute lung infections. The news, especially during the early pandemic, gave us video of hospitals overwhelmed with critical patients and ventilators. But for me, it was the audible sensations from the door slightly open that conveyed a profound sense of the quiet insidiousness of COVID. Some infections only bring a fever. Some folks are infected and never know it due to lack of symptoms. Yet, it is the critical ones, those that cannot breathe, that can impart a perspective of gratitude to someone like me with a routine foot laceration. Retrospectively, I look back on this experience, my ER day, and recall those voices. I never saw those people struggling, but I did not have to see them to come away with gratitude for a simple surfing accident. Some of those patients were undoubtedly placed on a ventilator in the ICU, and perhaps their outcome was even worse. I ended up discharged to home.

2020-04-10

Benefit during COVID-19 in Japan

Before the 100,000yen per person stimulus payment, Japan had a different plan. Originally, the plan was to give 300,000-yen stimulus payment to households with reduced revenue. However, this had many issues. To begin with, who can receive the stimulus payment was very narrow and hard to understand. The measurement of reduced revenue was based on who was considered as the「世帯主」meaning the head of the household. If the income of the head of household from February to June due to the spread of the new corona infection has… (1) Decreased and becomes the resident tax exemption level (2) Decreased by more than half and becomes less than twice the resident tax exemption level The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications decided that single-person households would be considered as tax-exempt households if their monthly income after the decrease was 100,000 yen or less, in order to make the stimulus payment conditions uniform nationwide. As one person is increased in the household, the standard monthly income increases by 50,000 yen. The problem was that this only covers 20% of the whole citizens/residents and cannot cover the majority. Other problems were the fact that the stimulus payment is based on the income of the head of the household. In modern days, it is normal for both husband and wife to work and especially in Japan, it is hard to just live with an income of one person. Therefore, even though the head of the household’s income did not decrease for example for the husband, if the wife’s income has significantly decreased, it will cause problems. The nuisance of head of the household is considered to be a man/husband in Japan and hence using the word 世帯主/head of the household is a problem. Finally, the problem of this stimulus payment plan is that the money is given to the head of the household. A simple calculation will indicate that a single-person household can receive 300,000 yen per person, but a four-person household can only receive 75,000 yen per person. This may create a sense of unfairness. Also, if the head of the household receives the stimulus payment, it may not be distributed properly to all household members. In particular, due to COVID-19, there is an increase in cases of domestic violence and child abuse and these victims will have trouble receiving the money.

2020-04-10

The empty shelves

The COVID 19 hits the world like a disaster and caught people off guard. As a student, I don't need to go out a lot since all my courses switched to online modality. But there is only one exception, and that is to go out and buy food. Be sure to wear a mask and maintain a social distance every time I go out. Above all, it seems that the strains of the epidemic had spread. If you get to the grocery late, the shelves will be empty. Target and Trader Joe's, two of my most frequent grocery stores I usually go to, best represent this example. The sight of grocery shelves bare of food perhaps makes people’s hearts flurried.

2020-04-10

Socially Distanced Senior Year

For weeks we zoomed almost every day just to try to savor our last months of high school even though it was online. We decided to try a car meet up because we had seen other people on Snapchat safely meet up with their friends that way.

2020-04-10

Food Delivery

Going out to eat out in restaurants has become so difficult due to the virus that to keep us safe restaurants have contactless delivery.

2020-04-10

Amazon Delivery

I was ordering masks on Amazon for my family and I saw this message. I noticed while shopping that there were either massive delays or that there was none in stock.

2020-04-10

German police attacked with stones, iron bars while enforcing coronavirus social distance measures 4/10/2020

Police in Germany were attacked with stones and iron bars while enforcing coronavirus social distance to a large group that had gathered outside in Frankfurt late Friday in violation of lockdown orders meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

2020-04-10

Lockdown 101

My story is simple. It is about lessons learned while doing Lockdown 101, a crash course in life, in death, and everything in between.

2020-04-10

Plague Journal, Day 28: Sirens, corpses, seder

I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, featuring sirens, 1,000 dead New Yorkers, real estate concerns, and a videoconference Passover seder.

2020-04-10

Action for Boston Community responds to the pandemic on Twitter

Action for Boston Community Development(ABCD) is a nonprofit organization that works with low income individuals and families in Boston, Massachusetts. Low income communities have been hit the hardest during the Covid-19 pandemic, and ABCD offers resources such as food pantry services, diapers, and activities to keep children occupied. ABCD has been a staple in many Boston neighborhoods and while Covid-19 has created obstacles for the organization, they remain committed to serving the needs of the Community in any way possible.

2020-04-10

Empty New York City

I think how this pandemic has managed to empty even the most crowded city in the states, and how we were all nervous about what future holds is something no one has ever experienced. Everyone will remember how the world stopped in 2020.

2020-04-10

Street Art

Amazing street art is popping up addressing Covid-19. Some of the work is spectacular and moving. This painting is now on t-shirts and face-masks. It highlights the contribution of Nurses around the world who continue to care for the sick in-spite of tremendous hardships and danger.

2020-04-10

Difficult to get home

First of all, because of the virus, every country is doing their best to try to contain the contagion, and the flights between countries are limited. So first of all, it is very difficult to get a ticket to get home. Secondely, the photo is I wear the protection suit, with goggles and N95 face masks in order to protect myself and others. But it feels really un comfortable, and it takes total over 35 hour from US to China (I have to transfer at Korea).

2020-04-10

COVD Women Experience

I thought this tweet was pretty humorous, but also had a harsh reality. During COVID-19, no strangers want to interact with each other because everyone is afraid of each other. Also, most of the time is spent inside so you don't have to worry about the threat of strange men. It is kind of sad to think about the fact that in society, this is the extreme it has to get to in order to feel safe from men. Even though, people leaving the house right now still feel far from safe with the threat of COVID.

2020-04-10

COVID Women Experience

I thought this tweet was pretty humorous, but also had a harsh reality. During COVID-19, no strangers want to interact with each other because everyone is afraid of each other. Also, most of the time is spent inside so you don't have to worry about the threat of strange men. It is kind of sad to think about the fact that in society, this is the extreme it has to get to in order to feel safe from men. Even though, people leaving the house right now still feel far from safe with the threat of COVID.

2020-04-10

Grocery shopping in Covid-19

When Covid-19 came, I can only deliver food to my door. I no longer shop in any real shops for 2 months.

2020-04-10

Burchfield Primary School Staff Car Parade

Flyer advertising a parade of school employees traveling through the city of Colusa, California. The parade was intended to allow separated students and teachers to see one another in person, albeit at a distance. Similar parades of teachers and school staff members occurred in neighborhoods around the United States during the COVID-19 campus closures.

2020-04-10

What Could've Been Choir Memories

This is about the things I've missed in choir because of the pandemic. Because of coronavirus, my choir and I couldn't go do our festivals which we could've meet other choirs. We were supposed to go to Knotts Berry farm and Universal Studios. We were supposed to sing one of my favorite songs, Hey Jude, in our last concert. This pandemic has taken a lot from many students, not only us. I can't help but feel bad for our seniors in choir especially those who were in choir for all fours years of their highschool life.

2020-04-10

A doctor at a nursing home in Texas is giving an unproven drug to residents

A doctor in April was conducting an "observational, uncontrolled" trial on residents of a nursing home in Texas for the use of hydroxychloroquine.

2020-04-10

"Rite"

The image is a register of a new procedure that apparently became indispensable for survival during April when the pandemic peaked in NYC.

2020-04-10

Stan's Donuts Closing

Stan's Donuts in Westwood, Los Angeles was a long-established fixture located just outside of the UCLA campus. It is one of countless small businesses which sadly have not survived this crisis.

2020-04-10

Quarantine Mood

This image of my dog sleeping on the couch, despite being an adorable take on the subject, is a visual representation of how many people have been feeling during quarantine. I made this meme on Snapchat a few weeks ago to make light of the way I personally have been feeling. After sending it to my friends and getting responses back about how relatable it is, I was relieved to know that I was not the only one feeling this way. The pandemic has caused a state of constant stress in a lot of people, which is very draining and results in higher levels of exhaustion. I know personally, this has caused me to feel isolated and alone, but the good thing about internet culture and memes is that it can show us that we are not alone in what we are feeling. And that sense of hope and community can get us through this, together.

2020-04-10

Neighborhoods coming together during the pandemic

Some of the neighbor's kids went around our neighborhood and dropped off goodies! In the photo we can see one of the neighbors dropping off care packages to help ease some of the stress during this isolation period.

2020-04-10

Hospital Thanks Cajun Navy for Food Donation, New Orleans East, LA

New Orleans East Hospital thanks the Cajun Navy for food donation during COVID-19 pandemic. Formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Cajun Navy is a collection of ad-hoc volunteer groups typically comprised of private boat owners who assist in search and rescue efforts in the Gulf Region during floods.

2020-04-10

"The Hermit Herald" vol. 1 Issue 12

Cuomo, terrible CV stats NY State; Saudi Royals sickened; mid-East; cruise ship industry & CV.

2020-04-10

COVID 19 Journal: 04/10/2020

COVID 19 Journal by Kaitlin Whalen written 04/10/2020

2020-04-10

See religions around the world adapt in the age of coronavirus

Due to the mayhem following the coronavirus pandemic that has been occurring worldwide, “religious leaders have had to find creative ways to bring their services and communities together” according to Adam Jeffery with the CNBC. Throughout the article, Jeffrey displayed how all around the world religious leaders have thought of very innovative ways to keep their followers still involved in the church and to try to keep communities as together as possible. In Austria, the catholic priest Johannes Laichner is “circulating incense over the photographs of members of his congregation” (Jeffery, 2020). In places like Bowie, Maryland, Rv. Scott Holmer risks his life to go outside and “make the sign of a cross while holding confession in the church parking lot” (Jeffery, 2020). In Israel, Ultra-Orthodoc Jews still show their faithfulness to their house of worship as they “pray along a street outside their closed synagogue while respecting the social distancing regulations'' (Jeffery, 2020). Places all over the world are still keeping their faith in the higher power they believe in during such a sad and crazy time that we’re living in. Both the people as well as the religious leaders all around are displaying their support for each other in various ways to convey the message that regardless of what may be going on in the world, the higher power is still the answer and we’re in this together. #REL101COVID-19Articles

2020-04-10

The Only Can of Disinfectant Spray

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, finding any sort of disinfectant supplies has been pretty much impossible. With cleaning supplies running low in Chicago, it has been difficult to find any disinfectant product, or even to gather the supplies needed to make one’s own cleaning solution. In a moment of good luck on March 16, I found this can of disinfectant spray at the very back of a top shelf in the Wrigleyville Jewel Osco on Southport Avenue, and climbed up on the bottom shelf to retrieve it. I haven’t been able to find any other disinfectant supplies since. #DePaulHST391

2020-04-10

Feeding the Neighborhood

COVID-19 has been particularly hard for Chicago’s homeless. My auntie and I tried to help out on the West Side, by making turkey and Italian beef and serving them. We also provided kits to individuals, so they could use them to feed their families. #DePaulHST391

2020-04-10

What Easter Can Teach Us About Suffering

The article disscusses how this church in texas did easter during this pandemic and how they wished they could gather like they usually do. The author also talks about how families gathered on zoom but it is not the same and that is making people sad because they are people who do not have access to the internet. Finally the priest talks about how he is upset they cannot meet but advises other churches to stay home and wait till it gets better. #REL101COVID-19Articles

2020-04-10

Churches helping other churches survive during COVID-19

This article discusses how many small churches are struggling to keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many large churches are pooling resources to help the smaller churches survive. One pastor comments how some churches were already struggling before the crisis, but hopefully, thanks to the generosity of some of these larger churches, they may be able to stay open. #REL101COVID-19Articles

2020-04-10

PANDEMIC 2020

Today is the first day I haven’t had a Zoom meeting or class, and I have loads of “homework” from three of them. I celebrated after my last Zoom meeting, a travel writing group I’ve been attending for almost two years, by watching a movie—The Goldfinch, based on a book by Donna Tartt that I read a few years ago. I loved the book, but it didn’t make a very good movie. But I was moved by the last scene, where the protagonist finds that the painting he stole from the Metropolitan Museum when he was 12 years old was found, and along with it many other stolen masterpieces, including a Rembrandt. “See,” says Boris, the drug-dealing friend of Theo, “Good can come from bad.” It seemed so à propos for today. I’m in the phase of this pandemic where I’m now looking for the good that can come from this. The stepping stone that I initially saw as a stumbling block. The hope one can see when before there was only hopelessness.

2020-04-10

Manic Solo Baseball Practice during COVID-19

Living in a house with a wife, 2 teenage daughters, and a dog, I have had manic energy that finds me outside for several hours a day, regardless of weather. I have released part of that energy by practicing and videoing softball skills (and 'dance' moves, in another submission [Squat Deeper]).

2020-04-10

Feeding The Neighborhood

This image is a collage of my aunt preparing Italian beefs for the people in the neighborhood more so the homeless since many of the restaurants are closed. We gave out plates on the West side of Chicago.

2020-04-10

My CoVid19 Illness

Description of someone who experienced having the COVID-19 illness.

2020-04-10

Drago's of Metairie Thanks Peyton Manning for Donating Meals, Metairie, LA

Drago's restaurant in Metairie posts a thank you on Facebook to Peyton Manning. Manning donated 400 meals to the East Jefferson General Hospital.

2020-04-10

Meals for Musicians, New Orleans, LA

The Howlin' Wolf, Culture Aid NOLA, and New Orleans Musicians' Clinic provide free meals to musicians who are unable to work during COVID-19.

2020-04-10

Digital Diplomacy: State Department Praises Taliban

This is a tweet by the United States State Department Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, attributed to its Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Alice Wells. This tweet is an example of digital diplomacy and practical geopolitics. According to Jason Dittmer and Daniel Bos digital diplomacy refers to diplomatic outreach through social media by policy makers and government officials; practical geopolitics is the discourse associated with politicians and policy makers. The tweet also touches on how the international system is divided into nation-states, yet many fail to govern effectively and there are bad actors that take on responsibilities of the state. Furthermore, in a world of social distancing and limited human interaction digital diplomacy is sure to gain more prominence. During this pandemic, we should all be more acutely aware of how geopolitics is playing out through virtual mediums. There are few interesting elements to this tweet. First of all, the state department rarely ever praises the Taliban for anything. Important context for this praise is the recent peace initiative of the United States for the Taliban and the Afghan government. The recent peace deal brokered by the United States between the Taliban and Afghan Government is incredibly fragile. This context likely informed the State Department’s decision to praise the Taliban. However, the State Department should be prioritizing working with the Afghan government, not the Taliban. Second, this statement of praise for the Taliban acknowledges a great extent of agency and power by the Taliban and the limitations of the Afghan government. The Taliban is a bad non-state actor, but this tweet acknowledges their capacity to provide leadership and services of a state. COVID-19 has created another stage where the Taliban can compete against the Afghan government, and so far the Taliban has responded to this crisis more effectively. Finally, this tweet undermines the popular discourse of COVID-19 versus nation-states. For the most part, responses to COVID-19 are examined on a national level. The prevailing discourse on COVID-19 responses is about the effectiveness of a certain nation-state’s response to the virus. However, this tweet brings up the fact that many governments and nation-states around the world fail in effective governance and that this leaves openings for non-state actors to take on responsibilities of a state. COVID-19 is testing the limits of nation-states’ power and effectiveness and in many places any shortcomings may be corrected by non-state actors (even if they are bad actors). What remains to be seen is if increased constructive interaction between bad non-state actors and the citizens of nation-states leads to an increase in future positive interactions, or if this phenomenon is exclusive to the COVID-19 crisis.

2020-04-10

Cat Nurse with Ken’s PPE

Created during quarantine, the object sheds light on the social uses of crafts — and the meanings of girls’ play — to manage anxieties about the threat that the virus poses to ill protected health professionals. She is wearing a vintage Ginny Doll uniform but the mask belongs to a Ken doll.

2020-04-10

Moonrise

Experimenting with filters to take images of the supermoon rising over the McDowells. I am colossally bored and find distraction in nature.

2020-04-10

Navajo Nation Hit Hard: Approaching Top 3 Hot Spots in Nation and Running Out of Water

597 people in Navajo Nation have tested positive for Coronovirus while people also are running out of water. National Guard rushing potable water to rural Navajo families while also setting up emergency health facilities. #IndigenousStories

2020-04-10

Hualapai Tribe Adopts Temporary Declaration of Emergency and Curfew with Graduated Points of Accountability

To protect tribal citizens, the Hualapai Tribe enforces a Stay at Home Order and curfew. Offense 1: written/verbal warning; Offense 2: $200 fine (non-tribal members to be removed from reservation for 1 year); and Offense 3: up to 30 days of imprisonment and additional fine. Recommends that citizens "limit your time off the reservation." #IndigenousStories

2020-04-10

Distributing tests to all police personnel

El jefe de la Región Policial Lima, General PNP Herbert Ramos, está en la Comisaría de Breña supervisando la toma de pruebas rápidas a todo el personal. Patrullaje se cumplió todo el día de hoy con el profesionalismo que caracteriza a nuestros efectivos.

2020-04-10

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