What an incredible mess this world is in. In the USA alone, as of today per the Centers for Disease Control, 1,031,659 cases. And 60,057 deaths. It’s not over by a long shot.

If you don’t yet have a face mask, you can find a lot of interesting (but non-medical grade) ones at the handcrafting sales site, Etsy.com.

According to a recent article in the New York Times by an emergency room doctor, a useful tool is a pulse oximeter. This is a device that you clamp onto a fingertip. It senses your pulse and blood oxygenation levels and reports them in a digital display. The doctor points out that many victims suffer decreasing lung function without symptoms, until the condition becomes critical. At that point, these folks often need to be put on ventilators, and (world wide) 86% of those on ventilators die.

A pulse oximeter can warn you of decreasing blood oxygen levels. Normal, he says, is 90-100%. If your readout shows oxygenation falling below 90%…see a doctor immediately. These devices are sold over the counter at drug stores (sold out around here), but also can be ordered from WalMart, Amazon and elsewhere. It might be worth $25 or $50 and a daily checkup.

I’m doing what everyone else is doing at this point in the coronavirus pandemic. I’m on lockdown. Everyone in my family is on lockdown. We’re socially deprived and bored, but we’re dealing with it. We’re getting a lot of movie watching in. About once a week I order takeout from a restaurant. So far as we know, we’re negative for the virus.

I certainly hope that you and your friends and family are also negative and are holding up. Hang in there.

My writers are good shape too and are ready to help with your projects when you’re ready. Ghostwriters Central, Inc., will survive this health and economic catastrophe. I sincerely hope you also survive it.