HOCKEY AND THE CORONAVIRUS

We are Canadian. And so we think of things in Canadian terms.   Even in this upside-down year with hockey season being played at the height of the summer.

Some of us (like Mark) like to use hockey analogies. And the timeline of a hockey game is actually a pretty good analogy to use on the coronavirus at this point. 

When asked by another Kamloops Blazer fan just where we were in this Pandemic timeline, here was his (paraphrased) reference.

We’re at the end of the first period.  While we may have come out ahead as a province and the country over that first period, right now we’re likely sitting in the dressing room and listening to the coach.  He’s talking about what we did right, some of the things we could do better and the overall strategy for the next period.

It’s our job as players to summon the mental concentration needed to take in the observations, despite the exhaustion from the first period.   

Fortunately, at this stage in the game, we’re ahead (of other countries). So it’s wise for us during this break to take heed of what is going on elsewhere so that we can prepare for our next round of action. 

It’s important to realize that just because Canada as a whole is ahead at the end of the first period,  that not all countries in their playoffs are the same. 

The US and Mexico are currently being slammed with infections.  They are finding their way north.  Other countries, such as India and Brazil are similarly being brutalized. 

Specifically. Here are 4 important tips from the coach.  In this case they’re some of the factually driven information pieces derived from either peer reviewed or preprint servers of clinical studies that are generally accepted to be correct. 

1:  The Coronavirus is still accelerating, not decelerating. Record numbers of people globally continue to be infected on a daily basis. 

2: Genetic mutations in the virus have increased the virality (or infectability of the virus). 

In other words, the likelihood of passing it on to other people has unfortunately increased by as much as three to tenfold due to a genetic change in the virus.  The version most commonly found in China has mutated to a “G” strain which is now most common in the United States. 

3:  A combination of clinically proven studies indicate that we are dramatically more likely to catch the virus in a noisy indoor setting where people are talking loudly. 

4: We are most likely to spread the virus just before we start to show symptoms or during periods of being asymptomatic.  Asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people are thought to be spreading upwards of 50% of new cases. 

5: New clinically trialled procedures to mitigate exposure or retransmission are coming to the market. 

It’s generally accepted that wearing a mask in an indoor situation is beneficial for you and others. Or if you are in close proximity with someone outdoors, makes general common sense for everyone despite the uncomfortableness of it. 

Remember, only 10% of Polio carriers knew they had the disease and thus could be spreading it.

So in light of our first Coaches comments, we can now devise strategy for the next period.. 

Our goal right now is to prepare ourselves with strategies, both physically and mentally, so we can come out ahead at the end of the next period. 

So that we come out In a good position in the long-term as this pandemic settles out. 

When you’re in the midst of a playoff series, sometimes it feels like it’s never going to end. 

Sometimes it goes into overtime.

And that’s about how the coronavirus feels right now. 

That’s no doubt how victims of the numerous past pandemics the world is seen have felt that there’s no end in sight. 

But historically, that is not how they ended. Inevitably mankind comes to the table. 

Develops the systems and services needed to eliminate or live with in order to keep moving society forward. 

Just as we have in the past we will do so in the future. 

Right now. It’s summer. 

So, let’s rest, recover and prepare for the next round.