I didn't feel it, but it woke all my friends up.

     The title was originally lighthearted, but no one is feeling that way anymore. At first, it all seemed like a joke, But now I think we're all just feeling devastated.  At first, we made fun of the world-wide panic, but now we realize that this is actually very serious.  I went to bed with a stress headache and woke up with it still here. Yesterday I couldn't stop myself from crying because I am just...sad.
     Am I worried I am going to die? Absolutely not. But do I worry about millions of people in the United States alone who are elderly or have other underlying health conditions that put them at risk? Yes.  I have friends who over the years have been hospitalized multiple times with pneumonia because of asthma, and I fear that their damaged lungs could not handle this. I worry for my friends who live and work and a funeral home.  They are the ones responsible for picking up bodies of the deceased, and it makes me sick to think about what would happen if we had an outbreak in the area.
    As for myself, "statistics" vary very very widely in regards to what happens to the young and healthy, but I wonder about this mystery breathing difficulty that has plagued me for the past year...{the doctor is assuming it is exercise-induced asthma because the inhaler works}...and I know that I was hospitalized for just having bronchitis on my mission.
    I worry for medical staff, who already in California are working for days on end and have so many patients that the medical staff are no longer allowed to use the breathing masks to help mitigate the risk of getting COVID19. They have to wear surgical masks instead because the other masks are reserved for patients. In Italy, which was the hardest hit outside of China, frantic and exhausted doctors have resorted to not treating anyone over age 80, because they do not have enough ventilators for everyone. What will happen if we too run out of beds?  Analysts have predicted that the United States will start to look like Italy if we don't slow the spread now.
    Luckily, just about every leader has stepped up to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  Much international travel has been banned; people must not meet in groups of more than ten which means all public gatherings are cancelled; countless stores have closed; dine-in is banned; grocery stores have an hour for senior citizens only; pretty much all schools that I know of are closed {universities went online, K-12 are just on pause}.
    While these safety pre-cautions are all very smart and are meant to protect vulnerable people from getting sick and prevent people who aren't as careful from spreading the illness... It's affected everyone's lives. I only know one person with the coronavirus {she went on a trip to London and contracted it there}, but EVERYONE I know across the world is "socially distancing." Graduations, concerts, sports {including Dallin's volleyball season} and other events and activities have been cancelled. Travel plans are completely haunted.  Missionaries from many countries across the world are being sent home.  An elder from my home ward was supposed to serve in the Philippines until July, but since he only has a few months left, he won't be able to go back out once the craziness ends. Just like that, his mission is over.
     I'm anxious to see what will happen to the economy.  I can only imagine the stress being a business owner right now as people isolate and stop going out and spending money, either by choice or not.  I am so lucky to have two jobs with the school that allow me to work online; a lot of people are struggling to pay the bills because they cannot work when their place of employment is shut down.

    That being said, there is still much to be grateful for. So far, my loved ones and I are healthy. And I haven't had this much time with Dallin probably since we got married. This virus is forcing everyone to slow down and really enjoy the little things.

COVID-19 according to Katie.

    In January, a number of people from Wuhan, China were diagnosed with a new virus called the Coronavirus.  First, it was thought to originate from a seafood market; later, rumors spread that the virus leaked from the virus research lab in Wuhan. Wilder rumors also began circulating: the virus was China's way of weaning out the weak, or it was Trump's fault.
No one really thought it was that big of a deal at first.  I'll be honest that I had laughed it off until a few days ago; after all, the symptoms are similar to the flu.  The danger is when people have a compromised immune system, are elderly, or have a pre-existing respiratory condition, since it can cause pneumonia.  But the world took it very, very seriously.
     First, Asia began to shut down.  Since Wuhan wasn't blocked off until after a massive holiday during which people traveled to visit family across the country, the virus quickly spread across China.  
     Then, two cruise ships off Japan were hit hard.  Ten people on one of the ships tested positive, and within the two weeks of quarantine in their cabins, 600 more passengers were diagnosed. My mom was supposed to get a double mastectomy {because she has BRCA2} Valentine's weekend, but alas, her surgeon was aboard that ship! After the quarantine aboard the ship, the surgeon was placed in another quarantine in Texas. My mom was freaking out about her surgery cancellation, so I flew down for a surprise visit to cheer her up.
    My brother Adam was serving a mission in an Asian country that had no cases of the virus, but they took immediate precautions to cancel all public gatherings, including school and church. Two weeks ago, the family received a phone call from Adam that he was coming home the next day! He had been isolated in his apartment with his companion for quite a while already, and then one day the mission president called them at 10 PM and instructed, "Get out--NOW!" They took a bus from their small town to the big city where the mission home is, and sure enough, by the next morning, the roads were shut down. Since the airports in Japan were shut down, they flew through Russia. Rachel and I hopped in the car and drove to Arizona to surprise him. Adam was devastated to come home, and soon after he stepped into the house with my parents, he started bawling. It wasn't supposed to be like this! By the time Rachel and I arrived, he seemed pretty numb. He was under "quarantine" despite next-to-nothing odds of having the virus.  He is flying out to the Pocatello mission tomorrow. More on these two trips home later.
     Then the day before my mom's rescheduled surgery was supposed to happen, it was cancelled again! My mom was upset, and the doctor in an interview said she was "pissed," because the governor of San Antonio said he wanted the cruise ship passengers to be quarantined even longer.
     This was around the time that people started to panic.  As the virus hit Italy like a bomb and began to spread through other parts of Europe and the U.S., Charmin ran out of toilet paper online. My cousin witnessed people fighting over water at Costco, as if somehow the water supply was going to become contaminated or shut off. The NBA has been cancelled for the rest of the season. Wall Street shut down to prevent a stock-market crash, yet the value of Netflix skyrocketed. Many universities, including other universities in Utah, have been shut down, and education will continue online. My own professors are receiving preparatory trainings. General Conference will only be broadcasted, and no guests may attend. My college graduation has been cancelled. I am supposed to travel to Europe on May 1st, but that is up in the air because travel from Europe {outside of the U.K.} has now been suspended for the next 30 days.
     It feels like the apocalypse, and honestly I don't know how dangerous the virus is or isn't. I had been trying to wean myself off my breathing medication, but perhaps now is not the time.  With everything happening, I respect the governments and institutions worldwide who are taking measures to prevent it from spreading.

**UPDATE 5:30 PM: Since this morning, church worldwide has been canceled, school will now be held online, and people in Utah should not have gatherings over 100! For people over 60, this group size is limited to 20! And one of my flights for my Europe trip has been canceled!