COVID-19 Roundup: April 28th 2020

“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.”― Excerpt from the play Joan of Lorraine

Happy Tuesday my friends. Writing the first part of that seems a bit strange, I must admit. Perhaps even a little offensive.

Some readers might say: "With all this death, sickness, and all the resulting fear and grief, what exactly is there to be happy about? From where can we expect to extract a measure of happiness, be it ever so small, when what we absorb all around us appears dour at the best of times and hopeless at the worst?". This is an important question with an equally important answer.

I won't deny, not for an instant, that this global pandemic has lived up to its name and has wrought destruction conventionally and unconventionally alike. The casualties aren't just in the cemeteries - they're in the "virtual" unemployment lines, they're miserably lonely, they're calling abuse hotlines and wandering like exiles around their rooms. The casualties are in the schools which have had to shut, whole lives and communities uprooted violently like beautiful trees ripped apart in a terrible storm.

People are scared and, with that fear, there naturally arises their three companions of guilt, shame and anxiety right along with that ancient emotion. Some feel guilty because they feel as though they're not doing enough to combat COVID-19 - even when most reasonable authorities would suggest, as I who am no authority but only an observer and merchant of truth, that the best and noblest course of action for the public to take is to stay safe, healthy and hopeful.

Ah, but there it is again...a case of "easier said than done". Ordinances which are reasonably made and which are reasonable in themselves are no issue. Only the variables of life itself which, as I can assert with a high degree of confidence, are that which present two things to those of us who are still in the process of trying to figure all of this out.

Yet...as I sit here and write these words down, I am reminded almost continuously of why, in spite of the darkness which has obscured things, it is simply overcast and not pitch black out there. We, meaning the human race, have witnessed the best as well as the worst in recent times when it comes to human reaction and response to this crisis. Certain heroes have risen among us, and villains as is always the case, and both have been uncommon.

Turning to the heroes, let us relax a little and read about their stories.

U.S Air Force Materiel Command Reports On COVID-19 Scientific Investigations

Writing recently from U.S Air Force Materiel Command, Erin Crawley from the AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) delivered details on one of the many scientific investigations currently being conducted in an effort to reduce the viability of the airborne-spread threat potential which COVID-19 currently possesses.

As stated in the report, the primary objective of the project, entitled "Viral Inactivation by Directed Energy Radiation" (VIDER) is to explore the potential of EM (electromagnetic) energy is capable of reducing the ability of airborne COVID-19 to infect. If this is proven to be correct, intelligence acquired could be subsequently utilized to protect individuals - including military medical personnel currently serving on the frontlines via the potential development and optimization of microwave systems.

In speaking to the origins and incentive of the project itself, Crawley shared the following quote:

“The AFRL team knew we had the knowledge and experience to take on the challenge of figuring out if directed energy sources could attack, destroy or diminish the viability of SARS-CoV-2. We all agreed that we had to find a way to either kill or limit the capability of the virus to infect,” said Dr. William P. Roach, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Program Officer, who manages the Laser and Optical Physics basic research portfolio and oversees the project.

VIDER began on March 20th in direct response to the evolving threat of COVID-19 and currently a consortium has been put together constituting AFRL researchers from Arlington, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M and Joint Base San Antonio based out of Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Study facets include exploring directed energy sources, biological experimentation and modeling in conjunction with a number of additional academic and industry partners.

Crawley also noted the following:

While it may be hard to visualize what it looks like when microwaves attack the virus in a hospital room, Roach explained how it could potentially be deployed.

“The specifics of the Radio Frequency source, including size, weight, and power, will be driven by the need to generate the types of waveforms found to be most effective in killing the coronavirus; however, one goal would be the development of a mobile system similar in size to a human, or a little larger, which is capable of decontaminating spaces like a hospital room or an aircraft passenger cabin,: he said. We have chosen to work with microwaves, a small segment of the electromagnetic spectrum, because they have been shown to induce changes in large-scale molecules like virus while suspended in solution,”

This diverse and dynamic coalition is approaching the objective in multiple phases, including the final phase which will be testing directed energy exposure with the live SARS-CoV-2 virus in a contained environment in order to validate real-world capability.

As Crawley reflected in her conclusion, the world currently does not have the answers for difficult problems such as this, which is why the world is actively counting on innovators and change makers from all over to step up and make a difference in ways both big and small - from the research lab to the comfort of one's living room.

John Casano, Advocate and Innovator Illuminates Linkedin Once Again:

Already distinguishing himself with his excellent report on the State of Hospital Systems several weeks ago, John Casano of Stryker Labs LLC and an active agent on Professor Yaneer Bar-Yam's ECV (EndCoronaVirus) recently published another article providing the welcome illumination of new and actionable information.

As you may know, we spun up the National Medical Capabilities group to understand COVID-19's impact at each hospital around the US, and how it is affecting the country's healthcare infrastructure.

Our goal is to frequently contact every hospital in the US to determine their 1) medical device needs, 2) staff capabilities, 3) patient impact, 4) hospital capacity, and 5) COVID-19 testing. The data collection processes and fields are compliant with what FEMA and the Office of the Vice President is requesting. The platform is dynamic and new fields can be added seamlessly.

Casano goes on to provide visual imagery and further intelligence:

Quite the striking portrait which really puts things into perspective. According to Casano, operational capability and noted progress are both on-point with regard to NMC (National Medical Capabilities):

Over the past 3 weeks, we have captured data from hundreds of hospitals from New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and Nevada. We are focused on New Jersey, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Texas next.

With three teams forming the heart of Casano's most capable squadron, there are plans for eventual integration of text-messaging bots, online forms and other automated efficiency technologies. In a spirit of authentic altruism, it should be noted that Casano's call to action is as simple and inspiring now as when it was posted in protean form on the ECV dispatches:

If you have supplies, please contact me. If you need supplies, please contact me.

U.S Navy's Blue Angels and Thunderbirds To Conduct Flyovers In NYC Honouring COVID-19 Heroes

Scheduled for 1200 EDT, the United States Navy's own Blue Angels and Thunderbirds are set to conduct flyovers in what has become, in many ways, the symbolic heart of the COVID-19 conflict in America from both an affected and response-based perspective.

The flyovers are meant to honour the sacrifices bestowed upon NYC and the nation as a whole on the part of healthcare workers, first responders, military, and other essential personnel. Additionally the flyovers can be considered a gesture meant to inspire solidarity among the people, a people in the case of NYC citizens who have experienced so acutely and adversely the effects of COVID-19 and have, whether in leadership or the multiplicity contributions to the overall campaign, more than risen to the occasion.

Photo Credit: NewsWeek

Resourcefulness and Versatility: An Example Of Leadership and Authentic Innovation

USAF (United States Air Force) Lt Col, CIO (Chief Information Officer) JJ Snow who also operates with the AFWERX accelerator, has built a reputation on getting things done with Innovation capitalized here for a reason: because it's taken seriously by her as well as those who form her highly specialized, nimble network.

Taking action in the wake of COVID-19 and spinning up all sorts of informative material, here is but one example. There are several others and indeed a perpetually rising number due to Lt Col Snow's commitment to providing timely, relevant and helpful content.

All of this exemplifies, in my opinion, an observation made by Kevin Walton, USAF AMC A4 Chief of Mx Policy Branch:

Whatever the new normal becomes, we are the ones who build it & live it. Very important to embrace our role and build the best future we can.

The Heartfelt and The Homespun: