This Thanksgiving, let us all do our part
On Thursday, many of us will sit down over a large, multi-dish meal and give thanks. We will reflect on the past year and talk about how, despite this pandemic, we still have so much to be thankful for.
For others, this holiday will be a difficult reminder of all the things they have lost this year. Lost wages. Lost homes. Lost dignity. Lost time spent with family members who are hospitalized and alone, or with parents or grandparents in living facilities barred from visitors. Loved ones lost forever to COVID-19.
I will be thinking about the more than 100 patients I have lost to this virus. More than 100 men and women — mothers, husbands, grandparents and siblings — who will not be celebrating this year. I will be thinking about the families they left behind, and how dearly they will be missed this holiday season. I, along with thousands of other health care providers around the country, will be wishing I could have done more, could have helped more, could have prevented even just one of those deaths.
Those of us who are paying attention do not see a light at the end of the tunnel yet, but rather another wave that’s about to come crashing down upon us. Another surge of hospitalizations and, most certainly, more deaths in a country that has already lost so many.
For those of us who have not personally felt these losses, Thanksgiving may feel like a welcomed opportunity to gather with friends and family, to share a feast and toast to better times ahead. But these actions, without the proper precautions, will only add fuel to an already devastating fire.
We can prevent this pandemic from getting worse, but every one of us must be willing to make sacrifices. Every day I am seeing more patients with COVID-19 in our hospitals. Every day I am becoming increasingly concerned with the direction this pandemic is heading. I know that people are suffering from loneliness and pandemic fatigue (I certainly am), but it is with alarm that I am watching the consequences of gatherings both large and small, many without the attendees wearing masks because of a false sense of security. Nearly 50 percent of people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic, meaning there is no way to tell if they have the virus or not, because they may have no symptoms whatsoever.
And so, this Thanksgiving, I encourage everyone to prioritize the health and safety of our community over a traditional celebration. Adhere to the safety protocols we are all familiar with by now: wear a mask, maintain 6 feet of social distance and practice good hand hygiene. Understand that flying increases the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. Shop online. Watch sporting events, parades and movies from home. Before planning to spend time indoors with family and friends who do not live in your home, think about how the virus is more easily transmitted indoors. Remember that the virus spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets, and you cannot wear a mask while eating and drinking.
As a physician on the front lines, for the sake of my colleagues and my patients, I encourage everyone to think about celebrating only with members of your household this year. I encourage virtual gatherings via Zoom. I encourage outdoor dinners for those who do choose to invite loved ones over. Give thanks for the great outdoors and celebrate on the lawn. More than anything, I encourage you to think about others, especially those who cannot share the holidays with their spouses or their parents because they are hospitalized and fighting for their lives.
We have learned so much since the beginning of this pandemic, and I remain hopeful that things will get better. The news on the vaccine trials from Pfizer and Moderna is extremely encouraging, but there is much work to be done before we can start vaccinating the public.
I also encourage everyone to get a flu shot. This is the most important year of our lives to protect ourselves and our community from influenza. There are two deadly viruses circulating this year — we have a safe and effective vaccine for one of them. We do not want to see our hospitals overrun by flu patients while we are still struggling with COVID-19. We need to do everything we can, as a community, to keep our flu numbers down. Please, if you haven’t already, get your flu shot.
Let us act together to protect ourselves and those around us. Let us all do our part to keep this situation from getting any worse. And let us work toward a future where next Thanksgiving we will be able to gather freely, share a meal, laugh, talk and give thanks that this pandemic is finally over.