The Daily Death Toll, Italy and Stephen

Every morning when I wake up, I check the Daily Death Toll in the New York Times. I used to hate listening to NPR because it seemed like every time I got in the car and turned on the radio, NPR was reporting on how many people died in a mudslide in South America or died of flooding in Southeast Asia. If there was a cause of massive death anywhere in the world, they told you about it, which was not what I wanted to hear first thing in the morning as I was driving Claire-Adele to preschool with the Boy in his baby bucket. I'd listen rock, alternative, oldies, country--anything but the Daily Death Toll.

And now, the first thing I do when I grab my phone is see how many people have. I take a screenshot so I can track the changes over time. I'll probably create my own spreadsheet. If I do, I'll be sure to share it with you.

Italy has an 8.29% death rate of people who get this. That is like zero to dead in a few weeks. Jack has been working with doctors in Italy who are trying to figure out what is going on as it is happening. As of a few days ago, there have been zero deaths of people under the age of 20, and 13 deaths of people under the age of 50. They said the median age of death is 80 in Italy, which means half of the people who died are older than 80. Why? Because prior to COVID, Italians lived forever. The reason Italy is the second oldest country in the world is because Italians don't die. My mom is from an Italian family and my grandfather died at around 95 with very few health problems. And he died young for his family. His sisters and mom all lived to be 100, 101, 102. My friend Eleanor is Italian and she is 99 and she is healthy as a horse and sharp as a fox. Eleanor and my grandfather are/were able-bodied and out and about in their nineties. It is truly amazing. Prior to COVID, one of my neighbors downtown was planning to retire in Italy. Maybe they wanted to drink from the fountain of old age.

[Trivia: The children's hospital is Rome translates to Baby Jesus Hospital. Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù is the Italian name. Isn't that adorable?]

The daily death toll is a lot, so I have to look for some humor in all of this, which is when I turn to Stephen Colbert. He has been doing a segment from his home and posting it on YouTube. It is brilliant.