Changing Things for a While to Slow Down Coronavirus and Maybe Keep our Health System Afloat. Post 1.
3/13/2020 (Day before π day)
Good morning friends - I'm going to give my best health advice and it's not gonna be pretty. We need to stop living our normal lives for a few weeks - probably 6-12 - so we can put a dent in transmission of COVID-19 and keep our health care system from imploding.
We don't have enough nurses, doctors, hospitals, ventilators, equipment, supplies, etc. to care for the number of people who will become seriously ill from this virus on our current path, and we were already behind when the pandemic started because our health system is a financial and structural mess. If we don't make drastic change NOW, many will die from this virus and many will die prematurely from other illnesses that they can't get treated because the hospitals are full of coronavirus patients. Like many people, my retirement savings are already destroyed because the market tanked, and the financial crisis now in progress is much worse for many. What we do now - today - determines how much worse things will get.
So, do/don't do these things:
Read this article from The Atlantic about social distancing:
Only be around other people when it's necessary - and I mean actually necessary for food, water, medication, or if your work is needed for your community. Get things delivered and left at your door as much as possible (tip the delivery people). Stay out of crowded stores (please don't go back to Costco etc. - I imagine there was a lot of virus transmission in these stores over the past week as people were stocking up. Grrr. Also, lots of big box stores deliver). Use online psychotherapy, meditation, and social media to keep up spirits and support others.
Wash your hands with soap. The 20 seconds you hear about means 20 second rubbing the soap around, not under the running water. Then rinse - after 20 seconds. Do this often.
Clean things - use this EPA guide for disinfectants:
It's ok to exercise outdoors if you aren't sick - stay 6-10 feet away from other people, wear gloves or use elbows/body to open doors and gates, and shower/wash clothes and hands when you get back home. Don't go to a gym or a yoga class.
If you get sick, use telemedicine if at all possible. Go to your insurance company website now and find out what's available, and write down how to access it. If it's not a benefit, ask your employer/insurance company to make it a part of your plan right away. Have your medications delivered to your door or pick them up at the drive-through at the pharmacy.
Keep listening to trusted sources. Right now you can trust the CDC website. I'll let you know if that changes.
Call all your elected officials and advocate for your fellow Americans, who need extended unemployment benefits, financial support for hourly/gig workers who don't qualify for unemployment, pauses to student loans and mortgages and rent payments until the economy recovers, food for children who are home from school and usually had meals there, increased SNAP (food stamp) benefits, increased meals on wheels for seniors, and free (to the patient) medical care and medications until this over.
I'll update most days. Take care, and stay in touch. Please share with anyone. I appreciate being cited.
Julie Graves, MD, MPH, PhD, FAAFP
North Bay Village, Florida
Copyright Julie Graves, March 13, 2020
Good morning friends - I'm going to give my best health advice and it's not gonna be pretty. We need to stop living our normal lives for a few weeks - probably 6-12 - so we can put a dent in transmission of COVID-19 and keep our health care system from imploding.
We don't have enough nurses, doctors, hospitals, ventilators, equipment, supplies, etc. to care for the number of people who will become seriously ill from this virus on our current path, and we were already behind when the pandemic started because our health system is a financial and structural mess. If we don't make drastic change NOW, many will die from this virus and many will die prematurely from other illnesses that they can't get treated because the hospitals are full of coronavirus patients. Like many people, my retirement savings are already destroyed because the market tanked, and the financial crisis now in progress is much worse for many. What we do now - today - determines how much worse things will get.
So, do/don't do these things:
Read this article from The Atlantic about social distancing:
Only be around other people when it's necessary - and I mean actually necessary for food, water, medication, or if your work is needed for your community. Get things delivered and left at your door as much as possible (tip the delivery people). Stay out of crowded stores (please don't go back to Costco etc. - I imagine there was a lot of virus transmission in these stores over the past week as people were stocking up. Grrr. Also, lots of big box stores deliver). Use online psychotherapy, meditation, and social media to keep up spirits and support others.
Wash your hands with soap. The 20 seconds you hear about means 20 second rubbing the soap around, not under the running water. Then rinse - after 20 seconds. Do this often.
Clean things - use this EPA guide for disinfectants:
It's ok to exercise outdoors if you aren't sick - stay 6-10 feet away from other people, wear gloves or use elbows/body to open doors and gates, and shower/wash clothes and hands when you get back home. Don't go to a gym or a yoga class.
If you get sick, use telemedicine if at all possible. Go to your insurance company website now and find out what's available, and write down how to access it. If it's not a benefit, ask your employer/insurance company to make it a part of your plan right away. Have your medications delivered to your door or pick them up at the drive-through at the pharmacy.
Keep listening to trusted sources. Right now you can trust the CDC website. I'll let you know if that changes.
Call all your elected officials and advocate for your fellow Americans, who need extended unemployment benefits, financial support for hourly/gig workers who don't qualify for unemployment, pauses to student loans and mortgages and rent payments until the economy recovers, food for children who are home from school and usually had meals there, increased SNAP (food stamp) benefits, increased meals on wheels for seniors, and free (to the patient) medical care and medications until this over.
I'll update most days. Take care, and stay in touch. Please share with anyone. I appreciate being cited.
Julie Graves, MD, MPH, PhD, FAAFP
North Bay Village, Florida
Copyright Julie Graves, March 13, 2020
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