"As it stands right now, we are not planning to cancel or curtail any part of the festival. Who knows what may happen in 5 weeks between now and then, but I just left a Tourism Department meeting with chairman Bubba O'Keefe, and although we gotta think that the virus is going to lower the crowd numbers, which have been very good and improving for several years lately, merchandise is still selling, teeshirts and all, and ticket sales aren't hurting."
Stolle added that as far as the year's economic prospects for Clarksdale, and for the blues musicians who play here, he felt it was too early to be worried, noting that "diseases like this, or like the flu, tend to die off or recede in the hot weather of summer. The bad time is usually winter-spring. If this disease went on spreading in America into the summer, it could do real damage to the city and our business."
So, I actually had to self-quarantine for almost a day while the health authorities determined whether I did or did not catch the coronavirus on my Feb-20-24 trip to Paris. I had the right symptoms, and the right incubation period.
Mississippi is one of the minority of states that has not had a case yet. And that's lucky, because as I noted, the state is not properly equipped with test equipment, nor surplus bedding in case of explosive community spread of the virus, or nor virtually anything, as the NP who examined me acknowledged.
But immediately after I presented with my symptoms-- a 99.6 fever and a persistent itchy cough (to go with a perfectly healthy 126/68 BP and 65 pulse)-- and told him where I had been visiting, he called another nurse practitioner in who shot me up with antibiotic in the butt.
"If this takes care of the fever we'll know that it's the bacterial infection I see in your throat that's causing the fever. I don't think you've got the coronavirus," said Chris, the examining NP, "but we'll hope to let you know tomorrow."
They told me to go home and self-quarantine till the results of the blood work were ready. I was encouraged to feel the rapid diminution of my fever, and reported it to them by phone.
At 8:15 the next morning-- uh, now yesterday morning-- I got a call from FamilyFirst, who told me they had consulted with the head of the Mississippi Department of Epidemiology, and given the facts that the antibiotic killed the fever very swiftly-- no more than 1 1/2 hours-- and that I also tested negative for flu, the information was conclusive that I did not have COVID-19, and I could rejoin the population. (I went right out and voted for Sanders, but it looks like he has shot his wad).
However, they can't use work-arounds like that for everybody. The states have to get equipped, or the risk for all Americans will continue to increase.
The state of Washington is AS YET the hardest hit by COVID-19, including 24 deaths in Seattle-area nursing homes. I wondered, how many cases are in Canada? I haven't heard any news from the north.
From Winnipeg, my sometime musical producer Scott Nolan answered, "There are a number of cases here and many are directly connected to America. But in my estimation our government is actually acting quite swiftly and responsibly."
As of today, Canada has recorded 93 cases of coronavirus infection and one death from COVID-19, the medical acronym for the disease the coronavirus causes.
Business News reports this morning that Canada's government has appropriated C$1 billion ($728 million USD) for battling and slowing the spread of the coronavirus. "and we stand ready to do more," declared Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
And in breaking news, Massimo Bevilacqua has just written me from Rome that there has been "an update on the whole-country lockout. EVERYTHING (italics his) has been closed except for pharmacies and groceries."
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