Calming Information About COVID-19

I have been preaching for weeks about being the calming force in your community. Panic doesn't do a thing and having been involved in the medical field and still being associated with many front-line medical family & friends, I am privy to more 'real-time' information than most. Being in the medical profession, 100% of them are preaching the same thing but, it seems to fall on deaf ears - especially with the false information spread on social media and even the news media.

*Know that the information that I personally share comes from doctors & nurses on the front-lines in a LEVEL ONE TRAUMA CENTER. There is a big difference from state to state and from hospital to hospital. 

Sensationalism may sell in the media but, it does NOT sell in business. We must remain calm and eliminate the drama so that over-reaction doesn't come back to bite us when this is all over.

I am NOT an expert but, simply sharing my personal opinion and sharing something incredibly valuable that our dear Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400 shared in the community earlier today.

Noticing that some commenters didn't want to take the hour to listen to the video, I listened and took notes for you! I do hope that you'll listen to #1 confirm what I am sharing here and #2 to hear the calming voice of a doctor in NEW YORK who is TRULY on the front-lines. *This was recorded yesterday so, it's very accurate when you read the CDC information that confirms his statements.

Here are my notes from the video...

Dr. David Price is a critical care pulmonologist in NYC at Weill Cornell Hospital, who cares for COVID-19 patients all day. Since it is an hour long, I took notes to save anyone reading, the time to listen. However, he IS on the front-lines and like Margaret, I would love for you to take the time to listen. Be patient and learn from this hero on the front-lines.

COVID-19 is a virus - a member of the common cold family

What is unique about this virus is that the human body has never seen this before. 

Was derived from an animal in Wuhan.

SYMPTOMS

What does it look like? Initially,

• Fever
• Cough 
• Sore Throat

If it continues, it goes through entire body; THEN it effects the lungs with these symptoms:

• Common cold type, mild cough
• Headache
• Simply don’t feel good - achy/sore all over

Day 3-5 

• Shortness of breath

Lasts between 5 to 7 to 14 days.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY:

How do you get COVID?

• Sustained contact with someone who has this disease - people with fever and aches or someone who is ABOUT to develop symptoms in 1-2 days.
• The transmission of the virus is from HANDS TO FACE. Either into eyes, nose or mouth

Others believe it can be airborne. However, doctors believe that you HAVE to have sustained contact with an infected person. 

COVID IS IN YOUR COMMUNITY - - No matter where you live. 

NOW, take the steps to avoid fear:

1. BECOME A HAND NAZI! Know where your hands are & know that they are clean AT ALL TIMES.  Keep Purell (or any disinfectant) on your person at all times. 

• REMEMBER SUSTAINED CONTACT with someone who has it is how it is transmitted much of the time.

1. START psychologically working on the connection between your hands and your face. STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE!
1. Be aware of when you touch your face
2. Start wearing masks (ANY mask, not the N-95s). That will prevent you from touching your face.
2. You don NOT need a medical mask - only need an N-95 mask when there is a respiratory patient WITH COVID-19 who may spread the virus via airborne method.
3. Distance yourself - 6’ - NO LESS

You don’t have to be scared of the outside world. Delivery is fine. Don’t put yourself in a situation with a lot of people. 

What do you do if you get this disease?

Throughout the world is through home and family transmission. If you develop a fever and you are otherwise fine, isolate yourself from your family. 

If you’re able, have the person in a separate room with a separate bathroom. IF not, put the medical mask on the person who is SICK. 

If you must be together for a short period of time, family should always wash hands, disinfect surfaces, etc. And resume isolation as quickly as possible.

If you don’t think you have COVID-19 but, you have the same symptoms you’ve had every year because your children bring home these bugs, treat it like you have COVID-19. Best to be safe.

*For certain, if there is someone who is incredibly vulnerable (Grandmother, someone who has an immune disease or someone with cancer on chemo), get them out of your house.

When do I go to the hospital? 

If you are short of breath when you get up to go to the bathroom. 

Only about 10% will need to be admitted to the hospital.

Of that 10%, 1-2% will go to the ICU to be on the ventilator.

*The vast majority of those who are put on ventilators are coming off 7-10 days later.

Should I get tested?

Depends upon the availability of testing in YOUR community.

If you have symptoms like the flu, chances are you DO have COVID-19. NOTHING is going to change if you know you have the disease.

However, knowing will allow you to get back out into the community sooner.

Infants & newborns - At this date, it has not gone from Mom to fetus but, can be transmitted after birth. Thus far, there is almost NO disease in kids from 0 to 14.

Airborne vs. droplet transmission - Cornell University & the CDC: Droplet is the vast, vast, vast majority of transmission - HAND-TO-FACE.  What does that mean? To protect from airborne transmission that causes them to produce airborne droplets a lot (suctioning ventilator), WEAR A MASK. Otherwise, practice proper hand hygiene.

The vast majority of medical professionals who are getting sick are not protecting themselves properly…primarily because they did not know the extent of this disease initially. 

Q&A

RUNNING OR WALKING in the city is fine -simply follow social distancing.

“Coronavirus is a wimp - It dies as SOON as you disinfect it!”

Coronavirus is not a mystery disease - treat it like any bug.

You MAY want to open deliveries with a glove or clean what you get with disinfectant but, you don’t really need to. You just don’t want to shake the delivery person’s hand or high-five them! And FOLLOW THE RULES - WASH YOUR HANDS - NO HAND-TO-FACE. 

Want to go to Starbucks - if you have to, yes. But, it’s best to make your coffee at home. But, remember, one drop of Purell will get rid of COVID-19 on the hands.

NO HAND-TO-FACE!

You do NOT need to wash your clothes after going to the grocer and following the rules properly. If you DO work in healthcare, ABSOLUTELY wash your clothes after work. Ask your ID physicians to tell you best case cleaning procedures.

TELE-HEALTH is HUGE right now - remember you do NOT want to go to the hospital unless you are short of breath and even then, try talking to your doctor via tele-health first.

Clarity of incubation period - PROBABLY depends upon exposure but, they don’t have those facts. Could be 2-14 days, however, the CDC is encouraging the latter for highest prevention rate.

Why have 30’s and 50’s been having issues? It is effecting EVERY age group over 14 years of age. It is NOT only a disease of older people with diabetes or high blood pressure. They are seeing a ton of 35-year olds but, there is no explanation at the moment. 

Take acetaminophen and not ibuprofen until they have determined whether or not there is an issue with ibuprofen as Germany has published.

Do you anticipate second and third waves? The experience from Singapore, Wuhan and South Korea is that you flatten the curve, bringing down the number of cases and then the second small spike will occur when social distancing is relaxed. We need to remember it is a way of life for the next 3-6-9 months. 

Learn the rules - it is empowering - this is the new normal.

If you are unaware you have the virus during the incubation period, you are still contagious (asymptomatic spread). This is known from the cruise ship data. Most of this happens in the first 2-4 days.

Are people becoming immune after they recover? Absolutely. If they ‘rebound,’ it’s because they have not complete the course of the disease.  Scientists have done tests of the nose to tell who will be spreading the disease. Day 16, they WILL no longer be able to get the disease or spread it.

Medical professionals - screen patients and practice proper hand hygiene. No mask is necessary for typical wound care.

So far, rare pregnant women are diagnosed. They are, however, responding well - no ICU care has been necessary.

Over 18 months, the population will develop herd immunity and will be like a typical common cold. There will be mutations and they will be significantly milder.

One last thing - please visit Margaret's post and thank her for sharing this very calming synopsis of COVID-19.