In this short Life that only lasts an hour, How much – how little – is within our power. Emily Dickinson 1873
I hope that you are all well and coping. I invite you to continue rolling up your sleeves, removing your watch and jewellery then using soap and running water for twenty seconds.
COVID-19 and TESTING
We are living in a more dangerous world. I am compulsively monitoring the Johns Hopkins University COVID world map and watching the expanding red circles obliterating country after country.
I’m in love with Dr. Bonnie Henry, the BC Provincial Health Officer and her calming, empathetic and scientifically grounded advice. Sure we’d all like to be tested but until capacity increases, we can’t. Take the COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool and make your decision with guidance from health care providers.
Remember, a negative test means you can still get the virus and you need to be as vigilant in your precautions as before the testing. We are not sure yet whether a positive test means that you have long-term immunity to this virus. Until testing capacity increases, let’s save testing for people who are high-risk or in the front lines, the people who need to be isolated from immunocompromised patients. Consider treating everyone outside your home as tho’ they have the potential to infect you.
For a great read, try the article in the Walrus, The Anatomy of an Epidemic by Kevin Patterson, author, ( Consumption and others ) and an ICU doctor who works in Nanaimo and lives on Salt Spring Island.
I’m trying to ration my COVID reading tho’ I seem to be waking up at 3:00 am and scanning articles. Last night, a Critical Care Society’s Guidelines for ICU care of COVID patients.
And here is this interesting animation showing how the virus spread developed by a group including the genius Lauren Gardner from Johns Hopkins who engineered the COVID map.
Importantly, Social Distancing and Self-Quarantine recommendations are the minimum things that we should be doing. Fortunately, regulatory bodies have made it harder to make impulsive and poor choices by closing coffee shops, restaurants, recreational centres, bars and borders. We have cancelled book clubs, dinners, lunches, tennis games and music lessons. One writing group is meeting on Zoom which is very useful.
Life in Comox
What seemed OK two weeks ago–a doubles tennis game, Sunday afternoon Sushi in a half-filled restaurant or picking up a few luxury items at the local food store–now seem reckless. These actions are inconsiderate of the essential service workers in the stores; inconsiderate of the healthcare professionals who will have to manage any resulting infections.
Which brings me to Storm Chips – Potato chips purchased by Canadian Maritimers in preparations for a winter storm. Well, I think you can have COVID chips too. We have laid some in – not hoarding, just a few bags. We are discussing what the criteria will be for busting them open. Perhaps similar to our Hawkin’s Cheezies rule of one bag a month?
Store owners are making changes to protect us and their staff. Some local stores have implemented a “seniors hour” with a limited number of customers in the store. The pet food store is home delivering phone-ordered supplies to minimize customer-staff interactions. I’m ordering two giant bags of cat food tomorrow.
Meanwhile, we go shopping at slow times–usually just before the store closes or during suppertime. We try to shop for a few days and only for essential items. It feels dangerous touching stuff that other people have handled. Is my mail dangerous?
I’m reading short stories because it’s all my brain can take–intense, transporting and focused–collections by Comox Valley writer Traci Skuce, Rebecca Lee and Mary Gaitskill.
I’ve donated some money to the local food bank and am hoping this retired anesthesiologist’s skills will not be needed in this community.
Yes, I’m thinking a lot about how this pandemic underscores global inequality–how we use resources and access to health care. I’m wondering how many of the equalizing and sensible changes we are seeing will get carried forward after the pandemic?
Oh well, that is quite the rant! Good luck to you all and please be considerate of each other.
Back to cleaning out the cutlery drawer and other useful home improvements.