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Day 5: Covid Affairs

Today it was hard to bring myself to a place where I could write down my feelings and tackle all the news of the day. Everything is escalating as we are on the increasing side of the infection curve. So today I took some time to just sit and breathe. Remember:

After waking up, we tuned in to listen to the presidential press conference, as well as the briefing from the governor of our state. It was a lot to take in. A LOT. The world is going to look very different for awhile. After hearing about everything that is "happening on the outside," I chose to turn inward and practice qi gong and meditation to calm my nerves.

I think it is important to remember every day that we have the power within us to take control of our feelings, even when other things may feel chaotic. As a person who has pretty severe anxiety, it is certainly easier said than done. But. When we take the time to invest in ourselves that way, what a huge return on investment there will be. What is it for you? Playing music? Painting your nails? Playing a video game? What gives you that reset and refresh?


I felt re-energized and ready to come back to thoughts and feelings that felt like "too much" earlier in the day. Now I am looking forward to the quesadillas that my husband is making for dinner.


Federally and locally, a lot has changed over the past twenty-four hours. Some of my takeaways are that we must cooperate and collaborate as a whole country. Complying with the "Containment and Mitigation Two Pillar Approach" is going to be crucial, ESPECIALLY THIS WEEK to curb the exponential reach of this virus. To that effect, social distancing regulations have been broadened in the following ways: travel restrictions have been increased and gatherings that were limited to 100 people two days ago, to 50 people yesterday, are now not to exceed ten people as of today. In order to enforce this, the federal government has closed all bars, restaurants, food courts, gyms, and workout facilities. Unemployment benefits are being offered immediately to all who are impacted in our region. Our state expanded on that to include a ban on bowling alleys, public rec centers, movie theaters, indoor waterparks, and trampoline parks. See my last post for some ideas about how to work out at home in the meantime!



All public officials have stressed that grocery stores, pharmacies, and banks will remain open. Open. It would serve no purpose to take away the life-sustaining essentials we all need. Rumor mills saying anything different are blatantly lying. People are encouraged not to leave home except for these essential reasons. In addition, it is encouraged to help elderly citizens with getting the necessities they need so they can stay at home as an at-risk population. If you are in a position where you can help senior citizens in need, please consider adding their grocery list to yours and finding time to give them what they need while maintaining physical distance from that person (at least three meters) when dropping off essentials.


While actions like this are drastic (and may seem like an overreaction) the government is not overreacting. It certainly can look like it because, as a local representative said, "we are always behind on information as it relates to this epidemic." We only have the information that was compiled from yesterday. According to our state representative, in order to try to "catch up" we must act from a place of acknowledging that we are behind.


Additionally, anyone with a family member at risk has been advised to put their whole house under quarantine. No exceptions. You all may end up playing Family Feud completely by accident, but at least you will be able to laugh about it next Thanksgiving together. Even people who are asymptomatic can still spread disease to anyone they encounter. No matter who you are (young or old, sick or healthy) we all must take steps to slow the spread. Remember, avoid shaking hands with anyone, including your quarantined family.




President Trump predicts that this social isolation is likely the new normal until August, and maybe even later than that. Scientists and leading experts agree that it is hard to predict. Something that I have been thinking about is that even though I am "socially isolated" from everyone I know (except my husband), I am actually IN COMMUNICATION with way more people much more frequently than in "normal, every-day life." My friends and I are on a text chain for miles. Individual messages and DMs are popping up left, right, and center. We have been skyping and talking on the phone to family members who I have not actually seen in months. This morning, I woke up to an email from a sweet girl in Alaska and a researcher in Hong Kong, China, both of whom are reading this blog. I'll say it again. People are good, people. We are social creatures. We are creative creatures. And we are good creatures.


I am about to head back into headlines, so first, here is a picture of my pup who is ready to play whenever we are allowed to head back to the park. For now, the living room will do.




When asked, the president said that nationwide quarantine was not predicted, but quarantine of “hot spots” where disease is most prevalent is possible. Communication with the president and congress has ramped up as the country moves toward unified action. The president had a teleconference with the governors of our states advising them to seek ventilators and respirators through local supply chains and not through the federal government, sparking much controversy.




Here are the statistics:


If our country follows the same pattern as others, roughly 40-60% of the population will likely become ill with the coronavirus. Since there are roughly 379 million people in our country...well, that's a lot of sick people. While China has reported that 6% of their sick population required a ventilator, that did not count the 75% of sick people who were unable to get the full extent of medical treatment or have access to a ventilator. Italy has since reported that of their sick population 10% have required a ventilator. Let's break down what that means for us...


If 40-60% of 379 million get sick and roughly 10% of that number of people need access to a ventilator to keep them alive, and/or help them fully recover, the 160,000 ventilators we have in this country (and 9,800 we have in the federal reserve) will not be enough for the entire population if we all get sick at once. By spreading out when people get sick, there will be enough ventilators to treat people as the sickness infects at a slower rate.That is why it is crucial to practice social distancing at a bare minimum right now.



Community spread is occurring outside of the travel restrictions throughout the state, meaning that evidence-based actions against the spread are more important than ever.

We are on the upslope of the disease curve, which means that there will be significantly more cases in the following days. So far, 54 cases have popped up in our state--this means that 54 people have tested positive so far from Feb 7-March 15 ranging in age from 14-86 years old, with a median age of 51 and 30 being male and 24 being female. Of those 54 cases, 14 required hospitalization. Exponential growth is the biggest factor we have influence to change right now. To change the numbers and change the outcome.



One of the most controversial and fantastic measures proposed comes from our governor, who states that he is following the guidelines of the CDC and other scientific groups. Our primary election day is tomorrow and with the new regulations requiring no more than 10 people gathering at a time, voting tomorrow does not comply with the necessary social distancing mandated. People should not have to choose between their health and their constitutional right to vote, nor should high risk voter rights be suppressed. To that effect, our governor has recommended that voting be extended until June 2nd, with no in-person voting until that date, and absentee voting be permitted between now and then. He is very empathetic toward both voters and candidates, recognizing that he alone does not have the power to extend this election. The law says that extensions can only be made in case of an invasion and the governor has repeatedly said that this viral outbreak is “an invasion,” even though that is not the spirit of the original law.


A document has been put forth to a judge in the court of common pleas who will rule on this matter shortly. In this way, the rights of voters will be preserved in the midst of this crisis and the health of the public voters and poll workers will be better protected. Public understanding of the facts continue to change and people who thought they could vote on election day last week are realizing now that this is no longer a good idea and that is no reason to revoke a constitutional right. Time will tell if this motion passes. Well, twelve hours from now will tell, actually. Like I said, things are moving pretty darn fast.


The scientific community has put out daily guidelines and summaries of their discussions for the government and the public. People on immunosuppressants or other similar drugs are also in high risk groups along with the elderly and those with preexisting conditions. A “full court press” vision has been adopted for every day with every person involved in this bold action to address the next stage of this disease. The accomplished sign language interpreter in the room during this briefing emphasized the urgency of this situation with the vigor of her gestures and facial expressions.“Every person matters.”

Our state is working as diligently as possible to slow the spread by any means necessary. This is exceptionally hard on businesses of all sizes including the food and drink industry-the list goes on and on. Children who get their main meal at school, parents who cannot leave healthcare positions with small children at home, and students trying to figure out next steps are all left in the lurch.


And yet.


Without these precautions, the numbers speak for themselves in terms of the number of medical personnel and interventions available to us as a population. WIth all of this in mind, food and beverage workers, vets offices, and dentists offices are encouraged to transport PPE materials (masks, gloves, face shields) to local EMA facilities so that people can get access to these necessities of treatment. Recommendations have been made to buy gift cards or donate to small, local businesses to give them revenue now for goods served later.


Also of huge importance: assistance is available online to small businesses who have been affected by this virus through the government website both state-wide and at the federal level.


Unemployment compensation is also available to displaced workers. Last week there were 562 applicants--this week there have been over 12,000 so far. Apply for immediate aid at unemployment.ohio.gov. The call line has a 100 minute wait so please use the website if possible. If not, the phone number is 1-877-644-6562. Bottom line: PLEASE DO NOT KEEP A SICK PERSON AT WORK! We will get through this and the economy will rebound. Take care of your skilled employees now using the Shared Work program to manage your workforce and train people in new skills (techcred.ohio.gov).


Again, public officials share in the disruptions to daily life and are working to help build support structures as fast as possible. Everyone is working to eliminate threats from the non-essential to provide easy access to the essential (groceries, medicine, fuel, banks.)


Be careful not to spread rumors or cause panic. Seek out good information and use it. We will soon be celebrating good days together, and in the meantime, we will keep celebrating the good moments!


Prepare, don't panic.


-Allison

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