State of Emergency

The governor has declared a “state of emergency” for Hawai’i in order to, as he claims, make funds immediately available if and when novel coronavirus cases are verified. The move comes as a result of the recent visit of the Grand Princess cruise ship currently quarantined off the coast of Cali near San Francisco.

Grand Princess

Passengers and crew members are exhibiting symptoms of novel coronavirus infection. Two elderly passengers on the cruise ship’s prior itinerary to Mexico tested positive and one succumbed. Cruises are notoriously popular with senior citizens. The problem is that there were many cross passengers for the ship’s subsequent cruise to Hawai’i. The cruise ship had docked at four of the islands including O’ahu. Passengers were allowed to disembark and, thus, there is a high probability that there has been direct local exposure to the novel coronavirus. “Community spread” is now the most likely scenario.

Then, there is the issue of testing for the novel coronavirus. According to a Medicare bulletin, testing is “free,” but it can only be prescribed by a physician. Thus, at-risk populations (i.e., wage slaves in exploitive jobs, undocumented immigrants, the homeless) will be excluded from any screening. In addition, treatment may run upwards of $3,000 depending on required medical services and health insurance coverage.

A vaccine will not be available for several months. Nonetheless, there are no cures for viruses. Viruses, unlike bacteria, are not living organisms. And, they mutate rapidly. So, new vaccines must always be in the works. Again, the cost of the vaccine will be an issue for many people including those who have health insurance.