Initially, the cases of atypical pneumonia in Wuhan, China, first reported on December 31st 2019, were seen as a local issue. This persisted through January where cases were predominantly restricted to China.
It was until cases in Europe started to appear, first Italy and then Spain, in late January and into February 2020 that the global community started to take the novel coronavirus “kind-of” seriously.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11th, 2020, and the US a National emergency on March 13th, 2020. Due do effective lockdowns, at the time, new cases in China had already diminished by March 2020, and cases in Europe were growing exponentially. In the US, particularly in New York, cases in the hundreds were reported daily (US – 265 cases and 6 deaths on March 11th, and 565 cases and 8 deaths on March 13th 2020).
In our town, Melbourne, Australia, three and nine cases were reported on March 11th and March 20th, 2020. We were still largely unphased and complacent until Friday March 20th, 2020 (28 cases). That day proved to be our last face-to-face classes and meetings. We were “evicted” from our Universities and our response room (computer lab). We have yet to return!
My last act in the response room was a modest to “crappy” magic trick – a four ace production. Coincidently, as we left the building I spotted a damaged two-of-hearts playing card on the street; the broken two of hearts. As the world entered into the first major lockdown, the damaged two-of-hearts playing card became more significant. The social and economic strain caused by the pandemic and ensuing lockdown resulted in an increase of reports of Tatsukobo (broken heart) syndrome. To honour our last day at University and the emergence of increased cases of broken heart syndrome, our newsletter will called the “Broken two of hearts newsletter”.
In the meantime during protracted isolation period, we have had to convert our personal spaces into response rooms, and a space converted into a lab-type environment has been dubbed the “Response Chamber”; when the time is right, we’ll do a tour!
Until next time … Tranquilo Polymaths.