Hi Everyone,

I have been getting a lot of phone calls to clarify information about the novel Coronavirus – nCOVID-19, as there is a lot of confusing, contradictory and sometimes purely inaccurate information out there. My goal here is to share my thoughts about things that you can do to protect yourself, your family and hopefully put your minds at ease in order to reduce the panic and fear that surround this viral outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently declared the COVID-19 viral infection as a pandemic. That means that it is everywhere and will potentially affect everyone!

This virus is no longer at the point where it can be contained, so calls for testing is questionable. The goal now is to reduce the damage to every aspect of life as we know it. Gaining control of this virus may take many months and more if we do not act decisively now.

Regardless of how healthy and strong you are, it is likely that you will contract the virus before this is all done. Even kids, previously thought resistant to the infection are likely having very mild symptoms but we are not sure if they are transmitting the infection to adults.

• How Does The Coronavirus Affect Kids?
• Detection of Covid-19 in Children

It is estimated that of those who get infected, about 80% will have mild symptoms, and the other 20% will have severe symptoms that require hospitalization.

Please understand that mild does not necessarily mean the “sniffles”, but means symptoms that are “clinically” insufficient to warrant hospital services, as they can be effectively managed at home. Even those with “mild” symptoms will feel horribly have a few days, but they will feel better with routine home care.

The 20% that require hospital services will receive what is called supportive care. That means fluids, food, and assistance with breathing if available, via oxygen and ventilators. Since there is only a finite number of ventilators available and an even more limited number of personnel that can manage these machines, not everyone will be able to receive such assistance. Many will likely succumb to the infection and depending on the severity of the lung damage incurred, those that recover will have residual effects that may last a lifetime.

This is a crisis of unprecedented proportions that needs to be addressed in ways that are different, more stringent and uncomfortable and even draconian to some. The status quo cannot apply here!

This situation is going to stretch and likely burst the current healthcare infrastructure so much so that even emergency care may become unavailable in some locations. It will however create opportunities to fix what is undoubtedly broken in healthcare today.

Inevitably, many healthcare workers - my colleagues and friends will unfortunately become infected and die in the course of doing their jobs caring for those suffering. To me this is a high price to pay.

We can lay blame later, but now we need to act, and that action involves you and me and everyone else actively participating to their fullest capacity.

To quote Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much!”

We are going to have to be creative and have to not only dispense with outmoded medical models and paradigms to combat this one, but everyone will have to do things for the benefit of the whole and not only consider me and mine.

Everyone will be inconvenienced, but nonetheless will have to be more patient, flexible and understanding as we will feel the effects of this virus worldwide, for the foreseeable future.

***** There is currently no treatment available to combat this virus. *****

We will get there however if we respect and support each other.

Please know that even thought you feel that there is nothing really YOU can do, this is wrong! Untrue!

That little bit you will do so diligently is vitally important to keep you alive and healthy, mitigate the spread of this virus and diminish the long term deleterious ripple effects that will inevitably occur.

So feel empowered and do your best while you do your part!

“None of us including me ever do great things. But we can all do small things with great love and together we can do something wonderful!” ……. Mother Teresa.

I will continue to update this post in the near future as the science advances and more information becomes available.

Stay safe and Be Healthy!

HERE IS A LIST OF ACTIONS YOU MUST TAKE TO HELP DECREASE THE SPREAD OF THIS VIRUS

Referenced Documents
• Actions to Decrease the Spread of Coronavirus Updated 26 Mar 2020
• Coronavirus Background Info Updated 26 Mar 2020
• Testing Information Updated 26 Mar 2020