Covid-19 is a form of a common virus, the coronavirus. Viruses are a naturally occurring fact of life. As a former schoolteacher and mother of three, I have experienced waves and waves of viruses sweeping over me, a couple of them making me so sick I thought I might die.

The Covid-19 virus is purported to be different, because it supposedly mutated from animals, making it so we do not have the immunity to Covid-19 that we might have from the common viruses that are normally present. Still, those with strong immune systems are projected to be fine, with no symptoms to mild symptoms. But for the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, the Covid-19 virus may cause respiratory problems that are life threatening. I have heard that based on other nation’s experience with the virus, 20% of us will have serious symptoms requiring medical interventions, and of that 20%, 5% will need intensive care and respirators to survive. Those numbers may overwhelm our medical system.

Because of the experiences of other nations, our government has decided to shut our economy down by demanding that we social distance even if we do not have symptoms, and to self quarantine if we do have symptoms. These measures to ensure that our health care system is not overwhelmed are unprecedented.  Only time will tell if these actions were wise. The Spanish Flu of 1918 killed millions worldwide. Of course we would have liked to have prevented that. Knowing what we know now, could we have prevented some of those deaths?

There is no cure or preventative vaccine for this Covid-19 virus, just as there was no vaccine or cure of the Spanish Flu. Our own personal health depends on our immune systems. Self care measures are our best chance of faring well. But as for our country’s financial health going forward, which effects our personal financial health, that is totally out of our control.