Posted on 03/10/2020 6:01:51 PM PDT by MNJohnnie
I'm a doctor and an Infectious Diseases Specialist. I've been at this for more than 20 years seeing sick patients on a daily basis. I have worked in inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa. HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis,TB, SARS, Measles, Shingles, Whooping cough, Diphtheria...there is little I haven't been exposed to in my profession. And with notable exception of SARS, very little has left me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or downright scared.
I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the implications of a novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19.
What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others. I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed with anyone who thinks they " probably don't have it but may as well get checked out no matter what because you just never know..." and those with heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia and strokes will pay the price for overfilled ER waiting rooms with only so many doctors and nurses to assess.
I am scared that travel restrictions will become so far reaching that weddings will be canceled, graduations missed and family reunions will not materialize. And well, even that big party called the Olympic Games...that could be kyboshed too. Can you even imagine?
I'm scared those same epidemic fears will limit trade, harm partnerships in multiple sectors, business and otherwise and ultimately culminate in a global recession.
But mostly, I'm scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, openmindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.
Covid-19 is nowhere near over. It will be coming to a city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you at some point. Expect it. Stop waiting to be surprised further. The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and "fight for yourself above all else" attitude could prove disastrous.
I implore you all. Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society. Let's meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing.
Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts. Our children will thank us for it.
#washurhands #geturflushot #respect #patiencenotpanic
“He or she sounds like a liberal...”
I agree. Some red flags went up when he started bad mouthing self-interest and pushing “altruism”.
You cannot help others if you don’t take care of yourself first!
“He has been a longstanding volunteer with experience involving
several charitable organizations and those committed to social justice pursuits,
including Amnesty International, the United Way and Doctors without Borders.”
Yep, a flaming bleeding heart SJW... But at least he walks the talk.
Screw Drudge, or whoever is running his crap site these days. Go here instead:
"With respect to Boston. How much tragedy abounds everywhere else with NO media attention? Life should be valued. Death mourned. EQUALLY."
I guess he thought all the media attention directed to the terror attacks and murders in Boston was uncalled for.
You probably do not have one of the factors that place you at high risk. I have several.
We've been in Las Vegas to attend a big BB event....having lots of fun...eating and drinking with friends...watching basketball for several days in a row with thousands....LIVE YOUR LIFE.....
what I've noticed...most people think covid is politically over hyped.. however, most people are using the hand sanitizer frequently and most people are elbow bumping or knuckle bumping instead of hand shakes.....
so a little bit of reasonable behavior while living life but at the same time establishing good health habits....
when people steal the boxes of face masks sitting on top of isolation carts, it is a problem......
It would be amazing if you come back from that non-infected, but I hope not.
An infectious disease specialist who is looking for a check from China...
IDK, some of this is reasonable- some isn’t.
really Steve?...really hoping someone gets a disease....
pitiful and pathetic and not something I would expect from a freeper....maybe a democrat, but not a freeper...
Well, …, Vegas!
But have a ball, a little commonsense protection = a world of enjoyment.
You don’t understand what “I hope not” means?
The complete statement, grammatically rearranged and with a double negative removed is “I hope you come back from that uninfected, but I would actually be amazed if you aren’t”.
BTW, I believe at least 50% of my associates are infected right now with the ‘S’ or weaker COVID-19 variant. I myself was in all probability infected, but with use of several anti-virals and supportive drugs experienced only minor symptoms.
Untrue
A common canard here
He changed ad managers to a company his dad is part owner of
He still owns it
He’s mad about the wall and little progress
That’s what Steve Bannon says....
You know why all the toilet paper is gone?
Because that guy over there sneezed and all these people over here crapped themselves!
Bookmark
I see good argumentation and sometimes even good statistics from both sides.
Mainly, I think we don’t know.
So, when you don’t know about something which may kill you, what do you do?
Take massive precautions.
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