I was shocked this morning when I read Jon’s post about how many people have died in New York State of the Coronavirus. I thought I was keeping up on the news but somehow It didn’t register with me that more than seven thousand people have died.
Maybe I just didn’t want to believe it. But seeing the number written out woke me up.
It was all I could think of when I began drawing on my Corona Kimono this morning. So I stitched 7,067, the number of people who have died as of this morning, held in a budding branch on the kimono.
I admit It’s staggering and I can’t truly grasp it.
But I didn’t want to leave it there, I always try to find some hope in the day. I believe in being happy when we can be. So when I got the email this morning that we were approved for the loan to get solar panels, I wanted to include that in today’s drawing.
The solar panels have become a symbol for Jon and me. We decided to get them in the midst of this crisis as a way of showing ourselves that we believe there is a future for all of us no matter how it may feel at times. And in our future, the idea of being good to the earth by using solar energy feels really good.
Solar panels are pretty non-descript so I drew an outlet on the panel in my thread drawing.
I love your Kimono project, Maria. A daily account of how everyones lives are changing….. and to try to put that into art…..well, it is a very meaningful and powerful art. It is hard for any of us to express what we are feeling and I applaud you for this work. I shudder only to think of the tragedy it will *hold* but I must remember the joy, that I’m sure will be present as well.
Much love from our home to yours
Susan M
Thank you Susan. Working on the Corona Kimono makes me feel like I’m doing my part as an artist throughout this crisis. Take good care.
We haven’t surpassed the average annual US death rate for the flue yet. It’s, on average, 16,000 people. I think the difference is that we are used to the flu and there are vaccines. The percent of deaths per infections is probably skewed because we aren’t testing everyone. SARS went away. MERS went away. Legionnaires disease went down drastically. Not that is an excuse to be rash, just maybe can help put things in perspective.
This is a good thing, lets hope it continues. And it will if we all do what we are asked by staying away from other people as much as possilble. I think so much of the fear about this virus is the unknowing. Like you say we have vaccines for the flu and know how it spreads. We’re still so uncertain about so many things about this virus.
It took awhile to sink in the the 7000+ really is in NY and not the whole country. I think one of the problem is that they are counting total number of deaths, including those who died at home and who were homeless. These people were not tested for the virus. From what I read briefly, they seem to be presuming that they died from the virus. I couldn’t find a figure for deaths n 2019 to compare. It just comes up for the virus. I couldn’t find a statistic for how many more. I think I will go back to doing what I do, trying to stay away from people, not obsessing about the news about the virus, and taking care of myself.
Be well and stay safe.