Coronavirus: Living In Perilous Times

I have no intentions of writing philosophic waxings in my post about the immense menace that this virulent virus poses.  Nor, do I want to write psycho babblings about let’s not panic or that none of us can escape death, so we might as well go cheerful as I recently read.

The enemy is here and our fears are valid.    Please,  few of us in our lifetimes have ever confronted this frightening worldwide fulminating peril.  I don’t think any of us are prepared.

Wisdom is wonderfully gained but generally only retrospectively.  Now we know what it might feel like to live in the African nations in the midst of Ebola epidemic or China.

Did we ever really feel their fear?  Probably not, because we can only completely understand someone else’s feelings when we too are confronted with them.

Don’t feel less than about that.   That’s human nature.  What happens in other countries can arise our compassion and concern, but you will not feel the impact until it lands in your neck of the woods.

Several times, as I have walked about Paris, I wondered what it might have been like to have lived during La Peste(the Black Plague).

Hopefully, I can get a post out on this based on ancient writings that recorded this terror that decimated thousands of people throughout Europe.

Today, I prefer to write about the current scene here and how I am facing this perilous virus.  For several years, I have been concerned about the possibility of a virulent global virus or superbug.

Now it is a reality of living.  Confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Paris are rising as I write, with concentrated cluster outbreaks in some Northern outlying villages, Alsace, southern Brittany and in the Alps of Haute Savoie.

Italy, one of our beautiful neighbour countries is ravaged by this virus and fighting mightily in already overwhelmed medical facilities.

France’s first cases were from a resident chinese national and tourists.  Patient zero thought to have spread the virus in the northern villages around Paris has not yet been identified.  First two cases were in persons that had never travelled to countries of risk.

Some suspect, it might have come from a military person based nearby that was involved in the repatriation of French national a month ago from China.

The Alsacian outbreak appears to stem from an evangelistic religious assembly that also attracted people from Germany, Switzerland and other parts of France now reporting contamination from those attendees.

The most recent outbreak in the Alps came from a businessman who frequently travelled to Milano and has fulminated in multiple cases.  The previous one was from a British tourist, contaminated in Singapore who vacationed near Chamonix.

There are outbreaks throughout the country and even in the small principality of Andorra.  Before Nothern Italy was recently placed in strict quarantine, there ha not been any travel restrictions in place, just warnings.

Paris, being the most heavily visited city in the world, is wildly popular with Italian tourists too. Likewise many French including myself adore travelling to our next-door neighbour and many did during the recent mid-winter vacation days.

I find it curious that the apparent strain of the Coronavirus circulating in France though is different than the Italian strain and German strain

I find virology fascinating and if you are interested in this field, I recommend the site nextstrain.org where global virologists contribute to identifying variances in the genome sequencing of multiple viruses.

This latest research points not surprisingly to the ongoing mutations of the coronavirus.  As the virus must replicate their RNA in each infected host’s cell, there is a likelihood of mixing up different sequents of genomic “letters”.

Not much different than myself typing typos or misspellings.   Whether one is more deadly than the other strains is not yet known.

Here on the homefront, most Parisians are still out on the streets, in the supermarkets and the outdoor markets.

Street musicians are out playing, beggars are still begging, and candidates for mayorial positions are still campaigning on street corners, handing out glossy booklets.

La Bise(kissing both cheeks) has been replaced with touching elbows or clicking shoes.  The once obligatory handshake is out as well.  These are so heavily ingrained in the French culture that it is practically automatic, so will be difficult for them to restrain.

I felt bad to have refused the heavily stained hand extended by the very nice Eygptian greengrocer leaning over the bright green peas and baby artichokes at my local outdoor marché Saturday.

I have dutifully allowed this in the past.  Unfortunately, he has a habit of kissing my hand as well as he likes to court himself like a prince with the ladies.

He looked annoyed, even upset by my refusal.  I quietly explained that it was for his protection as well; to which he rolled his eyes in disbelief and waved in hand as to miss my concerns as petty.

He nevertheless, gave me some free fresh coriander as lagniappe, a Cajun word for something extra, as he often tosses in some fresh mint.

To decrease my own exposure risks, I am being selective to where I now go.  So far I have avoided public transport and am trying to reduce my outings just for food.

Fortunately, my family doctor promotes video consultations when needed and my opthalmologist was ok with sending my glaucoma prescription rather than me going to his office.

I am glad that the Catholic diocese has decreed that there will not be the exchange of peace between parishioners during Mass.  Priests have been instructed to place the communion host only in hands, not in the mouth.

I have decided to only attend the small noon Masses in my local church, that takes place in a smaller side chapel, which last Thursday looked as attended as usual.

Any assemblies of 100 persons are to be cancelled. The upcoming spring wine salon that I usually attend has been cancelled, fortunately.

The Paris Philarmonic has cancelled upcoming concerts.  The Louvre is allowing only those with advance tickets in.

As of next Monday, all schools, child care and universities will be closed.

I have very reluctantly decided not to go to the gym for a while, having last gone Thursday.  I have worked very diligently for my new muscles and believe or not I now have looked forward to going twice a week religiously.

I will have to resort to working with my dumbells and leg weights here.  Walking around Parc Montsouris gives me some cardio and is a very pleasureful 3 kilometres, plus all the other walking I do.   I think I will need more discipline though working with weights at home than what it took to get me out to the gym.

It is rare to see any masks here, as the French government decreed that you need a prescription from your doctor to obtain one if you have underlying chronic illnesses that would compromise your health risks.

There is a monetary cap in place so that alcohol-based hand disinfectants will not suffer price gouging.  I have not witnessed any panic buying yet, but have read of reports.

I can’t change reality of possible exposure but I can try to keep up and boost my immune system.   My daughter works at a day hospital program for Schizophrenics, which is very concerning.

She can, fortunately, walk to work, but her patients take public transport and may not be very mindful of hygiene.

I have been taking 500 to 1000mg of Vitamin C since my 20’s.  Since I make my own vinaigrette with lemon juice each night for salads, I always indulge in drinking the rest every night.

For several years I have taken 10 to 15 mg of zinc and 200 mg of Selenium plus 1 to 3 grams Vitamin D every other day.  Magnesium 300 mg too.

I fresh grind about 20 grams of flaxseed daily for breakfast and enjoy that with my homemade live culture yoghurt that I replicate every 7 days.  Good probiotics for the gut.

I try to buy most of my vegetables and fruit organic and have great stores nearby.  I have been a stickler for making almost everything from scratch since forever and using only fresh vegetables.

Here in France, I do buy from talented bakers their excellent breads made from organic strains of older kinds of rye and wheats.

Yes, I do enjoy my wines too!   Exercise, good nutrition, a few supplements, hope, extending kindness and love and my faith and prayers are my modus operandi for living.

The best you can do to protect others from any contamination is by protecting yourself.  Keeping a very rigorous handwashing and hygiene routine, staying away from others when ill, follow any quarantine rules and praying and hoping for the best.

Whether some of my measures are protective or not, at least I can have some placebo effect, which is fairly powerful in itself!

I will leave you on a sweet note.  Since my recent return from Austria, I have had Kaiserschmarrn on my mind. When I found some fresh red plums at my greengrocers from South Africa, it was a clincher to make and just scrumptious!  A recent cranberry lemon trifle with meringues as well!