Field Notes from a Pandemic

by Ethan Lou

  Beaumont, Peter, Lorenzo Tondo, and Kim Willsher. “Coronavirus: A Disease That Thrives on Human Error.” The Guardian, March 7, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/07/coronavirus-a-disease-that-thrives-on-human-error.

  Bidder, Benjamin, Felix Bohr, Anna Clauß, Jürgen Dahlkamp, Ullrich Fichtner, Jan Friedmann, Annette Großbongardt, et al. “Attention Slowly Turns to the Mother of All Coronavirus Questions.” Der Spiegel, March 27, 2020. https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/what-next-attention-slowly-turns-to-the-mother-of-all-coronavirus-questions-a-853a559e-d454-41e2-b8f2-e8f2c8d5ca18.

  Boessenkool, Ken, and Dan Robertson. “Could the Coronavirus Financial Crisis Lead to Another Populist Storm?” Maclean’s, April 14, 2020. https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/could-the-coronavirus-financial-crisis-lead-to-another-populist-storm.

  British Broadcasting Corporation. “Coronavirus: Senior Chinese Officials ‘Removed’ as Death Toll Hits 1,000.” February 11, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51453848.

  Buruma, Ian. “Why Are Americans Trying to Fight COVID- 19 with Guns?” Globe and Mail, April 6, 2020. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-why-are-americans-trying-to-fight-the-war-against-covid-19-with-guns.

  Camus, Albert. The Plague. Translated by Stuart Gilbert. New York, New York: Vintage, 1991.

  Che, Claire, Dandan Li, Dong Lyu, and Rachel Chang. “China Sacrifices a Province to Save the World from Coronavirus.” Bloomberg, February 5, 2020. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-05/china-sacrifices-a-province-to-save-the-world-from-coronavirus.

  Chu, Jeff. “Against The Tide.” Fast Company, October 14, 2013. https://www.fastcompany.com/3018621/against-the-tide.

  Cohen, Patricia, and Tiffany Hsu. “ ‘Rolling Shock’ as Job Losses Mount Even with Reopenings.” New York Times, May 14, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/business/economy/coronavirus-unemployment-claims.html.

  Dahinten, Jan, and Matthias Wabl. “Germany Faces Backlash from Neighbors Over Mask Export Ban.” Bloomberg, March 9, 2020. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-09/germany-faces-backlash-from-neighbors-over-mask-export-ban.

  Dooley, Ben, and Makiko Inoue. “Testing Is Key to Beating Coronavirus, Right? Japan Has Other Ideas.” New York Times, May 29, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/world/asia/japan-coronavirus.html.

  Duclos, Jean- Yves. “Inside Ottawa’s ‘Light- Speed’ Epidemic- Driven Overhaul.” Interview by Paul Wells. Maclean’s, March 23, 2020. https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/inside-ottawas-light-speed-epidemic-driven-overhaul.

  Fisman, David. “The Paradox of Prevention: By Avoiding the Worst, We Remain Vulnerable to Future Waves of Disease.” Globe and Mail, May 21, 2020. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-paradox-of-prevention-by-avoiding-the-worst-we-remain-vulnerable.

  Gillis, Wendy. “I Got to Know Toronto Intimately Through Running. Now, It’s How I’m Staying Connected to My City.” Toronto Star, March 24, 2020. https://www.thestar.com/life/opinion/2020/03/24/i-got-to-know-toronto-intimately-through-running-now-its-how-im-staying-connected-to-my-city.html.

  Globe and Mail. “How Canada Gave a Pandemic the Key to the Country’s Nursing Homes.” April 14, 2020. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-how-canada-gave-a-pandemic-the-key-to-the-countrys-nursing-homes.

  Gormley, Shannon. “The Folly of Hope During the COVID- 19 Pandemic.” Maclean’s, April 8, 2020. https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/the-folly-of-hope-during-the-covid-19-pandemic.

  Graham- Harrison, Emma. “Coronavirus: How Asian Countries Acted While the West Dithered.” The Guardian, March 21, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/21/coronavirus-asia-acted-west-dithered-hong-kong-taiwan-europe.

  Greenwood, Michael. “Saliva Samples Preferable to Deep Nasal Swabs for Testing COVID- 19.” Yale News, April 24, 2020. https://news.yale.edu/2020/04/24/saliva-samples-preferable-deep-nasal-swabs-testing-covid-19.

  Hessler, Peter. “Life on Lockdown in China.” New Yorker, March 20, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/30/life-on-lockdown-in-china.

  Hutson, Matthew. “The Quest for a Pandemic Pill.” New Yorker, April 6, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/13/the-quest-for-a-pandemic-pill.

  Irfan, Umair. “The Case for Ending the Covid- 19 Pandemic with Mass Testing.” Vox, April 13, 2020. https://www.vox.com/2020/4/13/21215133/coronavirus-testing-covid-19-tests-screening.

  Jones, Dan. “Your True Self: The Future is a Foreign Person.” New Scientist, April 19, 2017. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2127901-your-true-self-the-future-is-a-foreign-person.

  Jones, Marc, Wayne Cole, and Scott Murdoch. “Stocks Tumble Again as Morgan Stanley Sees U.S. Economic Growth Plunging to 74- year Low on Coronavirus Crisis.” Reuters, March 23, 2020.

  Kelly, Annie. “Who Goes Alt- Right in a Lockdown?” New York Times, April 7, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/opinion/coronavirus-isolation-radicalization.html.

  Kimmelman, Michael. “Going with the Flow.” New York Times, February 13, 2013. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/arts/design/flood-control-in-the-netherlands-now-allows-sea-water-in.html.

  Kretschmer, Fabian. “Did China’s Authoritarianism Actually Help the Coronavirus Spread?” Deutsche Welle, May 2, 2020. https://www.dw.com/en/did-chinas-authoritarianism-actually-help-the-coronavirus-spread/a-52268341.

  Kulish, Nicholas, Sarah Kliff, and Jessica Silver- Greenberg. “The U.S. Tried to Build a New Fleet of Ventilators. The Mission Failed.” New York Times, March 29, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/business/coronavirus-us-ventilator-shortage.html.

  Kupferschmidt, Kai, and Jon Cohen. “China’s Aggressive Measures Have Slowed the Coronavirus. They May Not Work in Other Countries.” Science, March 2, 2020. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/china-s-aggressive-measures-have-slowed-coronavirus-they-may-not-work-other-countries.

  Laplante- Beauchamp, Terrie. “Three Days of Death and Disorder: A Montreal Orderly’s Diary From a Nursing Home’s Coronavirus Outbreak.” Globe and Mail, April 15, 2020. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-three-days-of-death-and-disorder-a-montreal-orderlys-diary-from-a.

  Lee, Hsien Loong. “The Endangered Asian Century.” Foreign Affairs, July/August 2020. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/asia/2020-06-04/lee-hsien-loong-endangered-asian-century.

  Lepore, Jill. “What Our Contagion Fables Are Really About.” New Yorker, March 23, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/30/what-our-contagion-fables-are-really-about.

  MacGregor Marshall, Andrew. “Thai- König tyrannisiert Untergebene in Alpen- Hotel.” BILD, April 14, 2020. https://m.bild.de/wa/ll/bild-de/privater-modus-unangemeldet-54578900.bildMobile.html.

  McChrystal, Stanley, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, Chris Fussell. Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World. New York: Portfolio, 2015.

  Medaris Miller, Anna. “New Zealand Has No New Coronavirus Cases and Just Discharged Its Last Hospital Patient. Here Are the Secrets to the Country’s Success.” Business Insider, May 28, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-new-zealand-beat-coronavirus-testing-tracing-trust-in-government-2020-5.

  Meyer, Robinson. “There’s One Big Reason the U.S. Economy Can’t Reopen.” The Atlantic, May 8, 2020. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/theres-only-one-way-out-of-this-mess/611431.

  Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Netherlands). “Ruimte voor de rivieren.” Accessed June 3, 2020. https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/water/waterbeheer/bescherming-tegen-het-water/maatregelen-om-overstromingen-te-voorkomen/ruimte-voor-de-rivieren/index.aspx.

  Morrow, Adrian, and Tamsin McMahon. “In the U.S., Coronavirus Is a Failure Decades in the Making. Is There Time to Do Better?” Globe and Mail, June 10, 2020. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/us-politics/article-americas-other-crisis-covid-19-is-a-failure-decades-in-the-making.


  Osmundsen, John A. “ ‘Elephant Repellent’ ” New York Times, January 2, 1988. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/02/opinion/elephant-repellent.html.

  Packer, George, “We Are Living in a Failed State.” The Atlantic, June 2020. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/underlying-conditions/610261.

  Pew Research Center. “Public Trust in Government: 1958–2019.” April 11, 2019. https://www.people-press.org/2019/04/11/public-trust-in-government-1958-2019.

  Reichmann, Deb. “Trump Disbanded NSC Pandemic Unit That Experts Had Praised.” Associated Press, March 14, 2020. https://apnews.com/ce014d94b64e98b7203b873e56f80e9a.

  Resnick, Brian. “Why It’s So Hard to See Into the Future of Covid- 19.” Vox, April 18, 2020. https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/4/10/21209961/coronavirus-models-covid-19-limitations-imhe.

  Schmemann, Serge. “The Virus Comes for Democracy.” New York Times, April 2, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/opinion/coronavirus-democracy.html.

  Shaw, Richard. “Trust in Government Is High in NZ, But Will It Last Until the Country’s Elections Later in the Year?” The Conversation, April 13, 2020. https://theconversation.com/trust-in-government-is-high-in-nz-but-will-it-last-until-the-countrys-elections-later-in-the-year-135840.

  Stephenson, Mercedes, Stewart Bell, and Andrew Russell. “Military Teams Raise Concerns About Conditions at Ontario Care Homes.” May 26, 2020.

  Stephenson, Mercedes, and Maryam Shah. “Troops in Long- Term Care Homes Raise Concerns About Management, Say Many Workers Doing Their Best.” Global News, May 31, 2020. https://globalnews.ca/news/7007826/coronavirus-troops-long-term-care-homes.

  South China Morning Post. “Not Letting the Facts Ruin a Good Story.” Accessed June 11, 2020. https://www.scmp.com/article/970657/not-letting-facts-ruin-good-story.

  Taleb, Nassim Nicholas. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. New York, New York: Random House, 2007.

  Taylor, Derrick Bryson. “How the Coronavirus Pandemic Unfolded: A Timeline.” New York Times, June 9, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-timeline.html.

  Thompson, Dennis. “Saliva COVID Test Alternative to Deep Nasal Swab.” HealthDay News, April 27, 2020.

  Tong, Scott. “Countries Race to Limit, Ban Exports of Masks, Ventilators, Other Gear.” Marketplace, March 30, 2020. https://www.marketplace.org/2020/03/30/countries-race-to-limit-ban-exports-of-masks-ventilators-other-gear.

  Victoria University of Wellington. “Research Shows New Zealanders Trust Government More, Churches and Charities Less.” June 11, 2018. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2018/06/research-shows-new-zealanders-trust-government-more,-churches-and-charities-less.

  Wattie, James (@jameswattie). “Ontario: where your butler can come over, but not your mother.” Twitter post, May 14, 2020. https://twitter.com/jameswattie/status/1261001138175909888.

  Wells, Paul. “The Doomed 30- Year Battle to Stop a Pandemic.” Maclean’s, April 21, 2020. https://www.macleans.ca/news/world/the-doomed-30-year-battle-to-stop-a-pandemic.

  Whipple, Chris. “What the CIA Knew Before 9/11: New Details.” Politico, November 13, 2015. https://www.politico.eu/article/attacks-will-be-spectacular-cia-war-on-terror-bush-bin-laden.

  Wilkes, Tommy, and Lawrence Delevingne. “Central Banks Deploy Record Sums to Break Financial Logjam, but May Need More.” Reuters, March 23, 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-markets-liquidity/central-banks-deploy-record-sums-to-break-financial-logjam-but-may-need-more-idUSKBN21A0EQ.

  Woodward, Aylin, and Shayanne Gal. “One Chart Shows How Many Coronavirus Tests Per Capita Have Been Completed in 6 Countries. The US Has Finally Caught Up.” Business Insider, April 20, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com.au/coronavirus-testing-per-capita-us-italy-south-korea-2020-4.

  Yakabuski, Konrad. “Canada’s Senior- Care Crisis Has Been Long in the Works.” Globe and Mail, April 15, 2020. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-senior-care-crisis-has-been-long-in-the-works.

  Yang, Yuan, Nian Liu, Sue- Lin Wong, and Qianer Liu. “China, Coronavirus and Surveillance: The Messy Reality of Personal Data.” Financial Times, April 2, 2020. https://www.ft.com/content/760142e6-740e-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca.

  Yourish, Karen, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Danielle Ivory, and Mitch Smith. “One- Third of All U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Are Nursing Home Residents or Workers.” New York Times, May 11, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/09/us/coronavirus-cases-nursing-homes-us.html.

  Yu, Sun, and Xinning Liu. “Strain of Life Under Lockdown Sparks Divorce Surge in China.” Financial Times, April 3, 2020. https://www.ft.com/content/11990ff0-c8f5-4f60-9b0a-be06324a4ddb.

  Zhang, Feng. “Officials punished for SARS virus leak.” China Daily, July 2, 2004.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This book is not only about a pandemic, it was also produced in one, on a break-neck schedule. I would like to thank my editor and publisher at Signal, Doug Pepper, and everyone at Penguin Random House Canada who helped bring this book to fruition: the copy-editor, Maryn Alberts; McClelland & Stewart’s publisher, Jared Bland; the cover designer, Matthew Flute; the managing editor, Kimberlee Hesas; the typesetter, Sean Tai; and the proofreader, Tara Tovell.

  My gratitude goes out to my agent, Rob Firing of Transatlantic, without whose tireless work and guidance this book would not be possible.

  I thank as well the writers and researchers whose work I consulted, and the people in these pages who trusted me to tell their stories.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Ethan Lou’s writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, the South China Morning Post, the Walrus, and the Washington Post. He is the author of Once a Bitcoin Miner: Scandal and Turmoil in the Cryptocurrency Wild West. Lou is a former Reuters reporter and has served as a visiting journalist at the University of British Columbia. He travels, but also lives in Toronto.