This year with the Corona virus COVID-19 in the USA, large groups are encouraged to stay home so many St Patrick's Day Celebrations are being cancelled.
Another matter is that many areas may be missing their toilet paper. No joking... I know of actual accounts of people coming into their work Monday with the toilet paper gone out of the bathrooms. 😆
The only interaction I want with Corona will be one with a lime this year.
What can I do personally?
My list: Listen to public health advice: avoid crowds; stay home if possible ( that may be hard at the moment for me since I'm in Mississippi but I 'm working moving that way)
Remember for those in a high-risk group, have someone else do the grocery shopping or order pickup at Wal-Mart; yes like me wash the hands frequently (they say soap and water for at least 20 seconds), start disinfecting frequently touched surfaces with wipes or sprays, and use alcohol hand gel as well.
I knew that the box of disposal gloves would come in handy someday.
Yes... Surgical masks do work — that is why health care workers wear them - but for us in the public just need to stay away from people if possible and leave the masks for the health care field.
I am pleased that our leaders, local and national, in the short term, are widened availability of diagnostic testing and the proposed economic relief package by Congress will be a start.
Government should ensure availability of basics — food, medications, toiletries — in the face of panic buying.
In the long term, hopefully they will rework the systems for developing, approving and deploying diagnostic tests to create the surge capacity that this epidemic may mandate.
Also, in that vein of thought, I am happy that the Medical community is on the right start by changing its triage and patient care systems, staffing, equipment and supplies preparing to handle the likely onslaught.
Yes we need to understand that this preparation may include temporarily controlling facility access, limiting visitors and canceling elective procedures. Hopefully soon medical researchers can perform fast-track testing for antiviral medications, which have been useful for influenza treatment.
Ideally, we need a vaccine for coronaviruses writ large, though in the best case situation that could be at least a year away.
So preserve and prevail Ya'll And... have yourself a Happy St. Patty's Day!
May the only green in your household be your beer.
Everyone stay safe!
Nana
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