Arkansas, like the rest of the nation, is struggling with the rise of covid-19 cases. The numbers are staggeringly high and seem each day to set another record in the number of cases, hospitalizations or deaths.
This week, with the Thanksgiving holiday at hand, officials are bracing for even higher numbers, even greater strain on the state’s hospitals, even more grief in too many Arkansas homes.
The number of confirmed covid-19-related deaths in this state since the outset of the pandemic had grown to more than 2,300, as of early Tuesday. Almost 200 more deaths are considered probable covid-19 cases.
Tragically, those victims’ families will have an empty place at their Thanksgiving tables this year — and fore
More than three out of four of the deaths in Arkansas have been among the state’s elderly. Covid-19 patients 65 and older account for 78.3 percent of the state’s deaths.
More callous observers might note that these people are older and will die from something anyway.
But these elders are someone’s parents or grandparents and, like any of the covid-19 victims, they were struck down in a pandemic this country has not adequately addressed.
Many of the victims — young and old —didn’t have to die.
The country divided along political lines, with too many eschewing the simple guidelines that health officials nationwide have repeatedly said could save lives: wear a mask, wash your hands, keep your distance in public and even private settings.
Had Americans universally followed that guidance, the more than 258,000 U.S. death toll would likely have been lower, the number of cases (almost 12.5 million nationwide) fewer, the impact on families and on the nation’s economy less.
President Donald Trump and others in his administration unfortunately downplayed the seriousness of the virus, even as the president and others in Trump’s circle got the virus themselves and promoted super-spreader events among his mostly mask-less followers.
Truth be told, Trump’s feeble “leadership” on the nation’s response to the virus, had a lot to do with his defeat last month.
He’s still denying the results and has done what he could to make the transfer of power difficult, but the nation needs to move on.
Finally, on Monday, Trump’s General Services Administration acknowledged Joe Biden’s election and cleared the way for the formal transition.
It was past time to free funds and grant the coming administration access to information that had been being withheld from President-elect Biden as he prepares for his scheduled inauguration on Jan. 20.
The action came 20 days past the election, denying Biden critical preparation time. But it has happened now and the work can proceed on covid-19 and all the rest of what awaits the new administration.
Those things that have gone right, like the rapid development of vaccines that may be available to some before the end of the year, need to proceed apace.
Broad distribution of the vaccines will fall to Biden’s administration and he needs to have full knowledge of the status of vaccine production and its planned distribution. That’s absolutely necessary for the vaccines’ seamless delivery to the American people.
In the meantime, spread of the disease continues at unparalleled levels nationwide. Right here in Arkansas, a small state, the percentage of covid-19 cases, relative to our population, is now the 14th highest in the U.S. And that’s better than it has been in recent weeks, based on the numbers of cases per 100,000 population.
The way out of this pandemic, which will require successful vaccination of the population, remains uncertain.
But responsibility lies not just with this incoming Biden administration. That’s a truth all Americans must come to understand.
No more than Trump is totally responsible for the nation’s earlier failures is Biden exclusively responsible for what happens next.
Their respective leadership certainly matters, or will, in Biden’s case.
Still, a lot of the responsibility for protecting American families is with individuals all across this nation.
Whether it’s in responsible planning for Thanksgiving gatherings or daily efforts to keep your distance, wash your hands and wear masks in the presence of others, individuals have some real power to protect ourselves and others.
How can we do any less?
