Stop me if you’ve heard this before: these are unprecedented times we’re currently living in.
With COVID-19 (CoronaVirus) reeking havoc throughout the world, citizens are in positions that they have never been in before. People everywhere are in a state of confusion, floating through a dayless purgatory with no end in sight. Experiences throughout this pandemic are unique, but our uncertainty is not. No one knows what the future holds, the present is moving in slow motion, and the past feels like a dream.
In fewer words: things are really weird right now.
The best thing to do in this situation is to understand what’s happening in your community so you can help end the spread of this virus. Control what you can control to help the greater good. I think the hardest part about this whole thing is getting people to understand what is at stake even though they don’t personally feel at risk. That’s why it’s important to get educated, so we can understand that this isn’t someone else’s fight. This fight is all of ours, and we need to get familiar with it.
What’s Happening?
For me personally, I live in Massachusetts, just twenty minutes from Boston in a county greatly afflicted by the virus. According to the Massachusetts Department of Health, as of April 7th, Norfolk County– where I live– has 1,592 confirmed cases of the virus. Only three counties in Massachusetts have more cases and in total the state has 15,202 cases. According to NPR, that number makes Massachusetts 6th in terms of states with the most cases, trailing five states with larger populations (with the exception of Louisiana). The MDH reports that 356 people have died from the disease in Massachusetts. When it comes to getting tested there’s a couple steps people have to take. For starters, if you have symptoms, it’s best to stay home. Since no vaccine exists, if you are showing symptoms and think you can recover on your own, do so and stay in your home. If you feel you need medical assistance, call your primary care physician who will administer a screening on the phone (unless you are experiencing severe symptoms then call 911). If your physician says that you need a test, call ahead and tell your local hospital (for me it would be any major hospital in Boston) you are coming. Many have tents set up to tend to COVID patients away from other patients. There you will be tended to and administered an official test.
What Are the Rules?
As of March 31st in Massachusetts, there are no official “shelter-in place” orders but there are restrictions. All non-essential businesses are closed and no more than ten people can gather. Essential business include: gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, dispensaries, drive-thru, waste management and others. When it comes to outdoor recreation, going outside and exercising is allowed, as long as people are trying to maintain a six foot (social) distance. Going for runs or walks is okay, put parks are closed and staying at home is encouraged above all else. Public Schools in Massachusetts have not been cancelled for the rest of the year but they are closed. Currently they are set to re-open May 4th, but that feels like a cancellation is inevitable. All colleges in the area are closed.
Talking With People Who Know A Lot More Than Me:
Living in Massachusetts gives me the luxury of knowing quite a few medical professionals, as Boston Hospitals are considered by many to be the standard for healthcare in this country, thus making Boston an attractive place to live for those in the field. I talked to two nurses that I know about the virus, one of which actually tested positive for the virus and couldn’t go to work for two weeks because of it.
Here’s what they had to say:
Demitra who works in the MICU (Medical Intensive Care Unit) at MGH (Mass General Hospital):
“The amount of education we have gotten over the past few days to weeks is overwhelming. But knowing how much this information matters for your own protection makes it work. We have to buddy up to make sure we are applying the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) correctly, and not wasting a single item.”
Christina (pictured above wearing protective masks) who is a Head RN at Mass Eye & Ear (Had the Virus):
“When I had to tell my staff I was being tested they panicked both for concern for me as well as concern for the exposure that they may have had from me. When I had to tell them I was positive it only heightened the anxiety. When I came back to work this week the feeling across the whole hospital was extremely tense, from walking in the door and having to immediately put a mask on and sign in to preparing the inpatient floors for the surge that is coming in the next few days. The lack of family for patients is upsetting and keeping their spirits up as well as our own is already a strain.”
Final Notes
It’s clear from my conversations with these two nurses that health care professionals are currently over-worked, tired, overwhelmed and above all, showing bravery behind comprehension. I think the most heart-wrenching part about those two statements is the part Christina said about trying to keep patients’ spirits up when they can’t have family visitors. People are dying, and they can’t see those who they love most because they might infect them, and nurses and doctors have to handle (sometimes enforce) those situations. Isolation is hard, loss is harder, and dealing with loss in isolation is hell.
Another noteworthy part from these statements is when Demitra said how much new information they are getting and how it is overwhelming. That’s something, perhaps naively, I hadn’t really considered. Doctors and Nurses have never dealt with something like this, so they are learning how to deal with it and with more information coming everyday things are constantly changing.
For the sake of nurses like Christina and Demitra, for the sake of yourself, for the sake of everyone you love, stay inside. The sooner we commit to staying inside, the sooner this whole thing can end. Medical professionals are all of our heroes right now, but if you want to be their hero, stay inside. Listen to the news. Get educated. Educate your friends. Flatten the curve.
And for the love of God, wash your hands.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/16/816707182/map-tracking-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus-in-the-u-s
https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-cases-in-massachusetts-as-of-april-7-2020/download
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/coronavirus-testing-boston/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/05/metro/other-states-are-doing-it-should-massachusetts-schools-close-rest-year/
Brett's Blog 