This is our new catch phrase: Flatten the Curve. The idea is that if things progress without a change, the number of cases is going to competely overwhelm the medical system. With some intervention, there will still be more cases than the system can handle, but it will exceed the capacity by fewer, and it will give the system time to improve capacity.

This has the potential of pulling the country together in the same way we experienced after 9/11. It is a different time now, though. Hard to predict what will happen.

We are getting conflicting information about whether we should wear masks. I think the real issue is that officials want to reserve medical grade masks (which they lump together in a category they call “Personal Protective Equipment”) for medical professionals. If people start hoarding them (which is already happening), there won’t be enough for doctors and nurses to stay safe. Sandy (and many other people) has started making masks. She is working out a way to fix it so it has a nosepiece, which will be nice for those of us with tiny noses — and glasses that fog up. Of course, nothing like as safe as a medical grade mask, but better than nothing.

I’ve been watching the daily news briefings since I got my TV working. The news is overwhelming.

GRAPHIC: “Flattening the curve” by Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris licensed CC BY-SA.