Virginia has a population of 8,518,000 people. As of this morning, there were 890 people who tested positive and 22 who have died from CoVid-19. This is to help put it into perspective to help those dealing with fear. This is not me saying there is not a reason to be concerned or to not take reasonable precautions. On the other hand, there isn't a reason to be driven by fear either.
I checked hospital wait times in many cities near me and also in hot spots around the country. They were not unusual. In fact, many had no wait times (2-3 minutes) or very little wait times (20 minutes or less). The longest wait I could find out of 25 hospitals was 1 hour and 30 minutes. I've seen it longer in my small town during normal circumstances.
Friends of mine went to hospitals in some of the hardest hit areas. They walked into the ER and filmed empty chairs and hallways with very few patients. I have seen five such videos to date. What is being reported and what they are seeing is not the same.
Friends told me their hospital in Florida is cutting hours. Two members of the same family working in health care were laid off along with other coworkers. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of healthcare workers there.
People have shared wonderful and exciting pictures of empty shelves with me...of the book sections. Bibles are selling out!
My family/friends in Alabama, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other states are seeing the shelves fill up again. I saw the same in the stores I visited in two different cities this week. Friends report fuller shelves in other cities in our state. While toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and cleaning items are still hard to find in all but a few places, things are looking better in others. Store workers near me say they expect to see steady but probably slow improvement over the next few weeks.
Friends in the shipping industry say there is a demand for truckers to move items.
The Port of Los Angeles has increased by 5% since February. So now they are running at 80% instead of 75%. It's a small improvement, but it is an improvement nonetheless.
I watched a video report saying ports on the east coast are performing at normal levels. This is very good news!
People in my area are reporting seeing drayage moving on the roads again. More good news!
Dear Reader, I know the coronavirus story is not over yet. Troubling news is still all around us. However, it is very beneficial to the soul to look for things we can be thankful for in this moment. Let's praise the Lord together for the good news while we seek His leading, provision, and protection over our loved ones.
I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Psalm 146:2
