I'm not an alarmist, nor am I feeling any personal sense of panic over COVID-19. In fact, until watching the video below, I've tried to accept the idea that we all should just "carry on". And I'd pretty much concluded that the only thing we seem to have right now is that this virus will run its course until we develop something of a herd immunity that should, eventually, protect the most vulnerable among us. The problem with that, of course, is that many vulnerable people will likely die before that herd immunity, or a vaccine, develops.
While I get that life goes on and in many ways we do need to operate business as usual (those businesses that have no other choice, anyway). Somehow, though, I've felt peculiarly entitled (or brazen) in approaching this virus in a "carry on as normal" mode. Somehow that seems a tad cavalier - not only toward my own health, but toward those who may be especially vulnerable.
As I've wrestled with what is the appropriate response to COVID-19, I haven't been able to sort out what is truly the right way to be thinking about this, and what sort of self-regulation I should engage in. Because, while we're being told to carry on, we're also very aware that at some point we may need to regulate our activity - either by self-quarantining if we become sick, or by choosing to forgo some activities if we don't want to risk becoming sick.
As I've wrestled with what is the appropriate response to COVID-19, I haven't been able to sort out what is truly the right way to be thinking about this, and what sort of self-regulation I should engage in. Because, while we're being told to carry on, we're also very aware that at some point we may need to regulate our activity - either by self-quarantining if we become sick, or by choosing to forgo some activities if we don't want to risk becoming sick.
Also, I have not felt information coming from the CDC and our government leaders has been terribly helpful. Not after the first half-dozen public addresses, anyway. Until watching the video below I've felt helpless to find information that tells me anything new; that shares information that will empower me; that helps me see more clearly that individual responsibility is key here.
Wash your hands. Don't touch your face. Got it! Now, would somebody look us in the eye and give us some reason to actually care about this?!? The message we're getting is clearly that we should care. But the numbers and rhetoric lead one to think, "Eh, most of us won't even know we're sick if we get it." - or some other version of "no need to panic". I'm not panicking. I just want some useful information. Information that will help me understand just how to responsibly "carry on".
To be clear, it doesn't contain precise answers. Individual circumstances will dictate those. But rather, it addresses the topic in a thoughtful way with a view toward the future. Dr. Hatchett clearly has a long view of the situation, and what the ultimate solutions will be.
In short, regulating our activity and social behaviors will slow the advance of the virus, which will provide some measure of protection to the most vulnerable among us. Slowing the virus could possibly get us to summer (in the northern hemisphere) when the virus might go dormant - which could further save lives and buy time for the creation and testing of a vaccine.
Dr. Hatchett packs a lot of clear thinking into this video. Clear thinking and communication has been sorely lacking in press conferences, one congressional hearing, and the nightly newscasts I've watched that have been produced here in the U.S. in the last few weeks.
Seriously... the video is only 18 minutes long. It's quite possible it's gone viral by now. But if you haven't seen it, it's worth a watch. I'm pretty sure you'll feel smarter and, hopefully, more empowered for the time invested.
In short, regulating our activity and social behaviors will slow the advance of the virus, which will provide some measure of protection to the most vulnerable among us. Slowing the virus could possibly get us to summer (in the northern hemisphere) when the virus might go dormant - which could further save lives and buy time for the creation and testing of a vaccine.
Dr. Hatchett packs a lot of clear thinking into this video. Clear thinking and communication has been sorely lacking in press conferences, one congressional hearing, and the nightly newscasts I've watched that have been produced here in the U.S. in the last few weeks.
Seriously... the video is only 18 minutes long. It's quite possible it's gone viral by now. But if you haven't seen it, it's worth a watch. I'm pretty sure you'll feel smarter and, hopefully, more empowered for the time invested.
Thanks Becki, I am glad you linked it. I watched it and found it very interesting. I don't usually get alarmed. I actually watch TV news, but I have started watching a private site for real news and she also seemed to have a different take on it as well. It is to be monitored.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Sandy. I'm really hoping our news media begin to get on this side of the message. I saw one last night that, while it didn't go into the same kind of detail, the messaging was more along the lines of protecting the vulnerable than it was focussed on what we can do to try to protect ourselves from the virus. It gave me a bit of hope.
DeleteA very informative video, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by and leaving a comment, Sue.
DeleteThanks for the video link. Since I am traveling by plane the end of this month, I have been a little concerned. But mind you, it is really "little" concern. I have hand sanitizer I will carry with me for situations I can not control. (ie: dirty bathrooms) There will Clorox wipes in my luggage to wipe the phone and the TV remote in the hotel room as well as the door knobs too. Other than that, I need to leave it in the hands of God. I have a compromised immune system but I can not live my life in a bubble. I am more concerned with the flu than I am about the Corona virus. I am unable to get the flu vaccine because of it. Therefore I depend on others to get theirs to help protect me.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it, every year at this time we need to remind people to wash their hands WITH SOAP? This should be a common practice EVERYDAY! It is common knowledge that dirty hands spread germs and diseases.
Glad to hear you're taking precautions, Marsha, as we all should. But the main takeaway from the video (for me) has to do with thinking about how to behave responsibly for the benefit of suppressing the virus, which will in turn be more protective of the vulnerable, and will give more time for a vaccine to be created, tested, manufactured, and distributed.
DeleteLearning how to and accepting the idea of suppressing the virus through responsible behavior (e.g. regulating our activities in meaningful ways) will also more likely minimize the toll this (and future diseases) take on society as a whole - health care sevices, schools, the poor, the homeless, businesses... the list is endless, really. Again, it's a long view. It's "other" based. It's not intuitive, but once I got what he was saying it was the biggest "A-Ha" moment I've had regarding this virus.
The thing is, communities and organizations have to understand what's required in order for this approach to have any real impact.
The self-protection and minimizing messages we hear here in the States have, I think, done damage that may be hard to overcome, and we've likely missed the biggest and best opportunity to truly manage this particular virus.
And because of that, the long-term damage (societal, medical, governmental, political...) is possibly going to be bigger than the bug that bit us. I'd love to ruminate on that, but this response is already rudiculously long so I'll end already. 😏
Today they finally labeled it as a pandemic, something we all knew was coming and wondered why they were taking so long. I'm a firm believer in using common sense and don't plan on pushing the panic button but at the same time I'm taking some precautions. Yes we bought an extra package of toilet paper, but we haven't stockpiled it. And yes we have enough food in the house to last us at least a couple of months - but that's something we do anyway so it's nothing unusual. Might be a little more diligent about duration of hand washing and won't be hugging and kissing people for awhile. Will be avoiding large crowds, but that's not because of the virus - it's something we do anyway. What's happening to the economy is an issue that I truly don't understand enough to address it, but it is frightening.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne, your actions sound pretty much like our actions. I'm ready to start making some decisions about what activities I'll engage in based on numbers of people involved and what the activities are. And I'm not into crowds, either, but here's my thought at the moment: While they're cancelling large events, and I understand the rationale (in terms of community spread), I'm pretty sure as an individual I'd be safer sitting in a stadium of several thousands than I would be going to an intimate gathering of friends right now. It's things like church and Bible study and going out to lunch with friends that makes me take pause.
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