» posted on Tuesday, September 1st, 2020 by Linda Lou Burton
That Virus Thingy
September 1, 2020, Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas – Six months have passed since we really started counting “that virus thingy.” I check the US stats on the Centers for Disease Control website every week; so far no US state or territory has had a week go by with NO new cases. Except for American Samoa, bless their peaceful, well-isolated hearts. Today I took a worldwide look – the World Health Organization has an excellent site and really good advice. It’s vitally important to track what is going on in our own neighborhood, but I believe it is equally important to track what is happening beyond our borders. Compare – how are they managing? How are we, in the US?
As of the beginning of September, 2020, the World Health Organization shows 25,541,380 cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide; 852,000 deaths. If we want to compare that death count with the population of cities of equal size – we could say that EVERYBODY in Indianapolis, Indiana is dead now. Or, Seattle, Washington. Dead. No living, breathing persons left in those cities. When you look at it THAT way, it seems like a lot of deaths, doesn’t it? Other cities in the US that have populations in the 800,000 range are Charlotte, North Carolina; San Francisco, California, Columbus, Ohio; Forth Worth, Texas. Imagine them gone! Imagine a dystopian horror tale, such as Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars (2012); a world where the unexpected happened – a flu pandemic struck – and life on the planet had to adjust to “what is.” While I’m a believer in Positive Thinking, I’m also a believer in being well-informed. And approaching life in ways that are reasonable, and not based on impatience to “get back to normal, now!” Like, opening schools. Sure, kids are getting a sucky education right now. Sure, parents are sick and tired of having to manage and monitor their children’s schooling from home. Sure – well the issue is ablaze in arguments and accusations and vastly different proposals. Politics involved. What is the best solution? Start with facts.
Here are the numbers broken down by sections of the world, and then the US.
World Health Organization Statistics – Number of Cases Reported Worldwide as of September 1, 2020
- Americas – 13,469,747
- SE Asia – 4,318,281
- Europe – 4,225,328
- Eastern Mediterranean – 1,939,204
- Africa – 1,056,120
- Western Pacific – 501,959
- TOTAL WORLDWIDE – 25,541,380
Of the Americas, that’s both North and South, let’s look at what is happening just in the United States. We’ve got the most cases of any American country — 6,004,443 COVID-19 cases reported to date; 183,050 deaths from the virus. That “death” total kills off everybody in Little Rock, just about! The US numbers are big, and continue to get bigger. Over the next month, I’ll be looking at what other countries in the world are doing to combat a pandemic that is “sure ‘nough” real, and how they are keeping their citizens safe.
Meanwhile, wash your hands, keep your chin up (with MASK intact!), and if you happen to live in any of the states below, get in touch with your governor because your state is leading the pack this week, an honor you don’t want.
US States With Highest Percent of Population Diagnosed With COVID-19 as of September 1
- Louisiana – 3.2%, Governor John Bel Edwards, Democrat
- Florida – 2.87%, Governor Ronald Dion DeSantis, Republican
- Mississippi – 2.81%, Governor Jonathon Tate Reeves, Republican
- Arizona – 2.77%, Governor Douglas Anthony Ducey, Republican
- Alabama – 2.57%, Governor Kay Ellen Ivey, Republican
US States With Greatest Numbers of COVID-19 Cases Diagnosed as of September 1
- California – 704,485, Governor Gavin Christopher Newsom, Democrat
- Florida – 616,629, Governor Ronald Dion DeSantis, Republican
- Texas – 612,969, Governor Gregory Wayne Abbott, Republican
- New York – 435,783, Governor Andrew Mark Cuomo, Democrat
- Georgia – 270,471, Governor Brian Porter Kemp, Republican
US States With Most New Cases Diagnosed in One Week as of September 1
- California – 40,416, Governor Gavin Christopher Newsom, Democrat
- Texas – 35,432, Governor Gregory Wayne Abbott, Republican
- Florida – 22,342, Governor Ronald Dion DeSantis, Republican
- Georgia – 16,522, Governor Brian Porter Kemp, Republican
- Illinois – 15,130, Governor Jay Robert “J. B.” Pritzker, Democrat