First: I'm not a doctor. Take my comments for what they are - observations from working with people in the medical field. Also from reading too much. Jesus, I've read way too much. Is there a support group for people that obsessively track the WuFlu? Maybe we should call it "Bat Shit Crazy"? What, too soon?

Here in the US, the WuFlu has become a political game, and, short of a nationwide vaccine, that's not going to change in this election year. It's all bullshit though, and most of you know that. So, let's break past this drama and lay the facts out simply:

You're going to get the novel coronavirus. Yes, you. On a statistical level, everybody WILL get it. Some of you will die from it. If it gives you any comfort, I'm statistically one of the people most likely to die from the virus. There is nothing that will eliminate this virus, ever. It will live and die year after year, and will most likely mutate to varying degrees. Ultimately, our only true hope is that we will develop the kind of genetic resistance that has prevented the common cold from wiping us all out.

So, if you're going to get it, doesn't that mean there's no sense in doing anything? No, quite the contrary. We must all take personal responsibility for managing our exposure and, when (not "if") we get it, to do the best we can to limit exposing others, just like we do when we have the flu. The real objective here is to contain the rate of the spread. Viruses are, by their very nature, nasty, clever, tiny things, and one thing the Wuhan flu does well is spread more easily than your run-of-the-mill flu, because it has a longer incubation period before symptoms manifest. We need to take reasonable steps to limit social contact, maintain cleanliness, and be respectful of others - behaving as if we already have the Wuhan virus, and as if others can give it to us. These kind of changes in our social behavior will contain the rate at which the virus spreads. By containing the rate of spread, you're doing your part in not overwhelming the ability for hospitals to take care of people that REALLY need help. It really is that simple.

But most of you have read that sentence above and thought, "Yeah, I will do that, but what about others?" Therein lies the "dire warning" part of my post. There are people in this country who are so mad with ideology that they will willfully weaponize this virus. Notice I didn't say they might. They will. Repeatedly. Hopefully we can stop such people, but that is not where my faith lies. Not in a time when we are literally locked in a cold civil war. A civil war that is fueled on an hourly basis by mass media that NEEDS the world to burn so that they can generate advertising revenue.

So, we have the worst possible scenario laid at our feet. A portion of the population that is filled with nihilistic or ideological hatred, fueled by professionals that profit from that hatred, and now handed a weapon that allows them to commit a terroristic act without the need to stoop to actual violence. You don't even have to look far on social media to identify the kind of people that will run through a parking lot near a Trump rally, spraying virus-laden fluid on vehicle door handles, etc. (yes, it could definitely happen). But to put things in a little perspective, the "other side" sees people such as ourselves as equally capable and intent on inflicting such harm on them.

It is a sad thing, indeed, that the most technically-advanced country in the world is populated with such people that will speak and act in such an evil manner, but we can and should take the high road. Change your behavior. Be alert. Be proactive. Help other people be well-behaved citizens (within the boundaries of proper and polite behavior). This is a problem that affects us all, regardless of how we vote. Now, more than ever, we need to be the best examples possible