I was in an inner city hospital(I will do teaching etc.); they are taking this virus VERY seriously, as the coronavirus has been particularly devastating to the African American community. There are several reasons for this(increased incidence of diabetes and HTN among other reasons); also, the disparities in our health care delivery are more apparent when a crisis hits.
We will get through this; it may take 9 to 18 months or longer, or we may(worst case) have to live with exacerbations of this virus for the long haul. The only good news is that it is lethal, yes, but most people do not end up in major trouble. However, there is so much we don’t know about this virus(and a lot we do know), regarding lethality, transmisibility, our genetic susceptibility, etc. Unfortunately I am afraid that the current talked about treatments(hydrochloroquine, azathiaprine, Vit C, zinc etc etc) will not pan out, but I hope something else does. A vaccine is on the way, may take 12 to 20 months(maybe shorter: several groups, such as at the U of Pittsburgh, have been working on coronavirus vaccines for years, are ahead of the game)….
The lack of PPE is shocking, for a country such as ours. Even in our suburban Chicago hospitals, who are not overwhelmed(yet), gloves are in short supply, along with other equipment. The nY Times has a chilling piece on what it is like in the hospital… https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-hospitals-bronx.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR2qb_5ouNDpbHFHO6L7XUQNg8_B8Xnu8BjVQrQ9l210W26F6Suc6aJID5w
For those unlucky enough to land in the hospital, they see hazmat suits, shields, and if they need a ventilator it is a horrific, lonely experience(and, about 66 to 80% of people never recover, once on a vent. This virus attacks the lungs, our own immune system attacks the lungs, and oxygen saturations go down incredibly low, much lower than most other viruses.
The landscape has changed in medical offices; doing telemedicine is ok, will probably continue even after the crisis(there are advantages, and disadvantages). I think loneliness and isolation in our society are drastically increased, which is a major problem. UK actually has a “loneliness minister”. For many singles in the city, the health clubs/restaurants/meet-ups with friends provided a rich social fabric, and suddenly it all ended. For older singles, city and burbs, an mildly isolated life turned into complete isolation, save for the occasional foray to the store. Zoom, FaceTime etc. do help; at least talking with friends/kids here and there, and seeing their faces, is comforting. The touch of a human is important, and that is missing.
A great epic movie: Avalon(Barry Levinson,) tracks an immigrant family in Baltimore, 1914 to post-WW2: it demonstrates the negatives(and positives) of moving from a crowded city living situation, where 3 generations lived close-by), to an isolated suburban set-up. Worth watching, very emotional.
I am going to volunteer at Fenix, a terrific health clinic serving the LatinX community in Lake County Illinois. Now, more than ever, we need places like this, to fill in the gaps of our system.
Food is another major problem: we already see long lines at the over-stressed food banks, and this is only going to worsen. Giving to food banks is so vital, as millions of people, so many kids, are going hungry. Adios and ciao for now……Larry