Almost Ten Million U.S.workers Claim Unemployment Benefit in a Fortnight - Where Can We Turn to for Comfort?

In just a Fortnight, 9.9 Million U.S. Workers have claimed New Claims for Unemployment Benfits. This is Unprecidented which breaks all previous records - these Unemployment figures were not even seen in the Great Crash of 1929 and subsequently the Great Depression of the 1930's.

More than 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — doubling a record high set just one week earlier — a sign that layoffs are accelerating in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. If you combine the 6.6. with the previous week of 3.3 million people who sought unemployment aid two weeks ago, the U.S. economy has now suffered nearly 10 million layoffs in just the past few weeks (precisley, 9.9 million).

An NBC Report from April 2nd and 3rd, gives the grim picture,

According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 50,000 world-wide have died from the Covid-19 Virus.

In the United States, Government relief payments will begin in the week of April 13 — although people who don’t have a direct deposit on file with the Internal Revenue Service may have to wait months for checks to arrive, according to a memo obtained by NBC News.

In New York City alone, more than 49,700 cases had been confirmed and 1,562 deaths reported as of 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the city's health department. The state overall has more than 92,300 cases and more than 2,300 deaths, according to an NBC News count.

The Govenor, Andrew Cuomo, told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Thursday that coronavirus cases have overwhelmed hospitals. A special Naval Medical Ship was commissioned and sent last week by President Trump whose remit is to take only non-Covid-19 cases in order to free up precious beds needed in New York hospitals for the Covid-19. Because of the huge demand, Govenor Cuomo said he asked President Donald Trump to allow a U.S. Army-run facility at the Javits Center with 2,500 beds to instead be used for Covid-19 patients, which President Trump agreed to. Govenor Cuomo says all New York counties now have confirmed coronavirus cases.

NYC first responders are reeling from 'unprecedented' call volume

New York City first responders are handling "tremendously high" call volumes, working multiple double shifts with back-to-back cases and suspected coronavirus patients going into cardiac arrest as the disease continues to sweep the city.

"Everybody's overworked. ... People who are working five doubles, five 16-hour tours," in one week, said a New York City Fire Department emergency medical technician who works in the Bronx.

"You get your two days off, but those days you're just sleeping the whole day because your body's recuperating from so much work," the EMT, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Thursday.

Anthony Almojera, vice president of the New York City Fire Department's EMS officers union, said last week that EMS services had been receiving record calls.

"Last night, we saw over 6,500 calls, the night before 6,400," he said. "The last week and a half, we've been at 5,000 or more every day. That's more than 9/11. In the last two days, we've set records."

In an interview with NBC News, the city's chief of emergency medical services, Lillian Bonsignore, said she had never before seen what EMTs and paramedics are facing in her 30 years in the profession. "This certainly is unprecedented," she said Thursday. "It's making it incredibly difficult, because we're seeing so many sick, really, really sick, people over and over, and with this type of call volume there really is no chance in between to take a break or decompress." 

In the same interview with NBC News, the city's chief of emergency medical services, Lillian Bonsignore said paramedics on the front lines were "doing a tremendous job, but they're fighting." "We consider this a war, and they're our soldiers, and unfortunately they're not immune to this virus, and many of them are getting sick," she said, adding that about 23 percent of the workforce was out sick. She also encouraged people to save calls to 911 for "true emergencies." "All of our hospitals are very overwhelmed at this point," she said. She said that while access to protective equipment was "certainly a concern for everyone," her department has enough to meet immediate needs and health agencies' recommendations, including those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. "We have enough for today, we have enough for tomorrow, we have enough for next week," she said. "If this thing takes another turn, we'd have to reassess that Anthony Almojera, vice president of the New York City Fire Department's EMS officers union, said last week that EMS services had been receiving record calls. "Last night, we saw over 6,500 calls, the night before 6,400," he said. "The last week and a half, we've been at 5,000 or more every day. That's more than 9/11. In the last two days, we've set records."

Britain's Daily Telegraph reported it like this:

"The figures indicate that employers are shedding workers at a frightening rate to combat a sudden stop in economic activity."

IN TIMES LIKE THIS, WHERE OR WHO CAN WE TURN TO?

We are living in unprecedented times. People lives are being uprooted by losing their source of income, with a large proportion of the U.S. in lockdown and practicing social distancing.

But amid all this bleakness, as Americans are somehow coming to grips with how to pay for their essentials of food, housing and payments of their already strained debts, is there any hope they can turn to?

Well, I hope you can find some real and deep hope at this time of crisis. I hope you find a real source comfort and guidance through this pain and upheaval, in the stories, I will be be telling in the days to come.

As hospitals bury the dead and their loved-ones somehow come to terms with this nightmare, there must be millions asking that question which I would say is the second most biggest questin after the much asked, "Is there a God?" question.

If there is a God, why did he allow such suffering?

In this crisis there must be miillions asking this question.

What do you think?