Let’s face it, life’s been weird since 2016. This week, though, was a particularly heinous shitshow. My opinion: with honest leadership at the top, our country would not be shutting down (are you tired of all the “winning” yet?). A Clinton White House would have heeded experts; testing would have been in place and a vaccine on its way.  Most of us would be living pretty normal lives, more vigilant, yes? But quarantined, no.

But, of course, the putin puppet/cult leader/ “president” can’t interrupt his delusions. He lies and his monkeys repeat his lies. The sycophants praise him. They don’t care about the human costs. That’s how cults work. 

Then the medical professionals, and public health officials have to correct the lies. We get mixed messages. People panic. In my 55 years, I’ve never seen Americans freak out and empty grocery store shelves of hand sanitizer, chicken cutlets, frozen meals and toilet paper.

My brother & sister-in-law are medical professionals. I trust their opinions. They believe in science (imagine that). Both of them feel that the mass hysteria over covid 19/coronavirus is overblown. Use common sense. Take precautions. Do the socially responsible thing and keep social distance, for now. This post is my attempt to do two things:

1) Provide factual information gleaned from a YouTube video explicitly for ER professionals (provided by said brother). I’ve listened and boiled it down to essentials for us civilians: 

• MITIGATING the SPREAD: Social distancing is most important right now. Thanks to the Trump admin, it’s too late for containment. Travel bans are stupid. Coronavirus is here — obvious to most except for those in delirious state of cult coma. So avoid crowds as much as possible. Stay home. Wash hands. And clean surfaces. This virus is transmitted through respiratory drops that live on surfaces. It is not airborne. You can go outside. You can go to the store. Try to avoid touching your face (hard I know). 
  
• TESTING: obviously sane people know that we need testing. The purpose is: 1) to protect healthcare workers. 2) to protect the most vulnerable – the elderly, or those whose health is already compromised 3) for surveillience of the data so medical and public health professionals can do their work. Of course, as testing increases, reported cases will, too. Better to know. 4) to determine the best treatment. Medical experts need the financial backing and support of policy makers for this; needless to say, there’s no treatment right now. Isn’t that “great”?

• ABOUT VACCINES: speaking of treatment, anyone with two braincells realizes that developing and testing vaccines takes time. The experts in this video estimate roughly 6-12 months. But since the those at the top are hindering, rather than helping, it’s hard to say for sure.  The interviewee on this podcast, Dr. David Talen, did say there are some “promising candidates”, fingers crossed.

• WHAT TO DO IF FEELING SICK: Stay home. Call your doctor. Monitor for symptoms. Isolate. Sleep. Watch bad movies. Steam your throat. Drink tea. Don’t run to the ER immediately. If ERs get flooded by people who don’t need acute care, it exposes the more vulnerable patients to the virus. Some countries have started offering drive through testing sites. Apparently, Southern California hospitals are establishing outdoor triage and testing. 

• MORE TESING means LOWER MORTALITY RATES: South Korea has had the most aggressive testing and lowest reports of deaths. And, according to Dr. Talen, South Korea has provided the most accurate data. Imagine that.

If you feel inclined to geek out, as I did, here’s the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp29gmsJJ4A 

2) Offer suggestions for maintaining mental health: One healthcare professional in the Podcast said his biggest concern was the social consequences. Fear as a contagion. Gentle Souls absorb their environments, so you need to do your best to mitigate your exposure. Staying sane should be a top priority: say no; set boundaries; limit news and social media. Eat healthy. Get rest. Go outside and take a walk. Connect to family and friends. Calm down your nervous system with the healthiest activities that you can muster. Yoga. Meditation. Music. Art. Take a run. Whatever it is that calms and centers you. Go there. Do that.

Someone sent a poem out on a listserv today … I can’t really say it better. So see below. Inhale and exhale. We’ll get through this.