In the spring, while New York suffered untold devastation from the COVID-19 pandemic, California was so successful in keeping the virus at bay that at least one expert called it the “California miracle.”
So when the coronavirus began to proliferate with unprecedented fury in November, transforming California into the epicenter of the pandemic, health experts and residents struggled to understand what had gone wrong.
Now, with the crisis showing signs of easing, the main reason for the catastrophic surge is coming into focus: a false confidence that the pandemic could be kept in check. For the public, that complacency showed up in fatigue and frustration over safety restrictions. Officials, for their part, were caught off-guard by how rapidly, and how broadly, the virus spread once the numbers began to climb.
Just like doctors, nurses and other medical-care providers, hospital chaplains have become part of the line of first responders when it comes to treating people with COVID-19.