How does it feel to be in the ‘No. 1’ city

By Alex P. Vidal

“If a severe pandemic materializes, all of society could pay a heavy price for decades of failing to create a rational system of health care that works for all of us.”—Irwin Redlener

Scared. We’re so scared that New York is now the No. 1 hotbed of coronavirus in the United States (82,135 cases and

1,195 deaths as of March 26 night).

As of this writing, 365 have died in New York and cases were up to 23,000.

We got goosebumps when Mayor Bill de Blasio hinted March 26 that half of New Yorkers or about four million people could be infected if the situation wasn’t remedied.

We have eclipsed Italy, which hogged the headlines for over a month with horrendous number of cases and casualties.

We’re scared even more because the epicenter of New York’s pandemic is in Queens, where I currently live.

Another reason to tremble in our short pants is that Elmhurst Hospital, now the focal point of “apocalypse” for having the highest number of COVID-19 patients and where death rate has skyrocketed in only several days this week, is located in our neighborhood.

It’s in the Elmhurst Hospital where I regularly had my medicals in 2016.

Elmhurst Hospital ironically was my supposed destination for a check-up on the day I decided to have a “recess” after about two weeks of self isolation and self-imposed “enhanced community distancing” on orders of Gov. Andrew Cuomo for all New Yorkers.

We now feel like there is an “urgent” reason to extend the “stay at home” guidelines we started in the second week of March in order to help prevent the spread of infection, which has savaged the economy prompting nearly three million Americans to seek unemployment benefits.

 

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Coronavirus reportedly tends to spread in dense places and the first and most obvious explanation for the severity of the area’s outbreak is that New York is the largest and most densely populated city in the US.

“That spatial closeness makes us vulnerable,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said March 25.

According to the 2010 Census, New York City had an average of just over 27,000 people per square mile, or more than double the density of Chicago and Philadelphia and more than three times the density of Los Angeles.

At all times of day, we pack together on the subway, bump into each other on sidewalks and brush knees at bars and restaurants—all while potentially contagious.

We live in crowded apartment buildings, squeezing up stairs or into elevators with neighbors.

The transit system connects us across all five boroughs, so most people here don’t own cars that might otherwise separate us

“We’re used to crowds,” New York City Mayor Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “We’re used to lines. We’re used to being close together.”

New York City is also the largest city in the country with over eight million inhabitants.

New York’s high number of coronavirus cases is also just a reflection of its size. The state will likely lead the country in coronavirus cases even if its infection rate per person is not the highest, according to Dr. Kent Sepkowitz, professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

 

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The U.S. Department of Labor’s unemployment insurance programs provide unemployment benefits to eligible workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own and meet certain other eligibility requirements.

Unemployment insurance is a joint state-federal program that provides cash benefits to eligible workers.

There is now the coronavirus relief package which dramatically expands unemployment insurance for the jobless during the outbreak, aimed at easing the suffering imposed by the crisis as claims shattered unemployment claim records.

Passed by the Senate and is set to be approved by the House on March 27, the $2 trillion bill creates two main categories of benefits for individuals.

The first is Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which covers people who are unable to work because of the coronavirus outbreak—that includes independent contractors, gig workers, sick people and those caring for a loved one during the outbreak.

The second is an extra $600 per week over the next four months for those who are out of work and getting jobless benefits in their state.

 

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ATOMS CANNOT BE SEEN. To show that the world was made of particles a million times smaller than objects visible to the naked eye was so difficult that their existence was not established beyond reasonable doubt until the end of the nineteenth century.

WELCOME THE WIND. Many products can cause air pollution to build up in our home, including modern cleaners, which contain strong chemicals. Let’s make sure to ventilate our home well, ensuring a through-flow of air to help reduce pollution levels and encourage good ventilation.

FILTER IT AWAY. The human body requires at least 1 gallon of water a day. If we are considering stocking up on emergency supplies, let’s bear in mind that plastic bottles are thought to leach chemicals into the water if left for a length of time. Let’s save space and the environment by stocking up on water filters instead.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)