The Vulnerable (of Tomorrow)

[Coronavirus - IV]

The elderly are the highest risk of contracting and dying from the coronavirus. Especially those with respiratory problems. That is well documented. What’s not well documented, partly because we don’t have the data and partly because no one seems to be asking the questions that will return the data, is who will be the most susceptible to suffering in the future.

Who is the most vulnerable tomorrow? And the next day? And the day and month and year after that?

Clearly, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are always the most vulnerable to infectious disease. Who’s the most vulnerable when we broaden our perspective to include the ramifications of social distancing?

No check from the government will help a single mom fully recover from losing her two jobs.

No social service providers can rectify eviction experienced by working poor families.

No word from the president or stimulus package will heal the wounds of small businesses that have already folded.

The consequences of recession always flow downhill.
The pain of society-wide hardship is always greatest at the bottom.

People like us that are unwilling to continue in ways like this are already asking who will be the most vulnerable tomorrow.