Life In A Pandemic

For decades, scientists worried about another global pandemic like the 1918 Spanish Flu that infected one third of the world’s population and killed 50 million people. Their worst-case scenario was Disease X, an unknown pathogen with no known treatment or cure. In March 2020, the scientists’ nightmare came to life when the world faced COVID-19.

Overnight, businesses and schools were ordered to shut down. As weeks of shutdown turned into months, COVID cases and deaths grew exponentially. It tested everyone’s patience and, in the U.S., COVID control measures turned into a political battle.

Luckily, the scientific community pulled off a miracle and multiple new vaccines were proven effective in late 2020. But COVID was not ready to loosen its death grip. As the world struggled with vaccine distribution, COVID mutated into variants, some of which were like the original virus on steroids.

The second year of COVID was scarier than the first and in some parts of the world it was nothing short of apocalyptic. Ambulances, hospital beds, oxygen, medicines and medical staff were in short supply. The world was in a race against time to stop COVID.

This book documents the everyday life of a Pittsburgh couple, Connie and Tim Palucka,  as they navigate the unknown and adjust to the new normal that is a world with COVID-19. It describes not only everyday life but also the progression of COVID and attempts to control it. With luck, younger generations will learn from the mistakes made during COVID-19 and do better when the next pandemic hits … because there will be a next time.