Accept, abide and adapt By Brian Michael I. Cabral, MD and Monica Therese Cating-Cabral, MD
We are all in this together and what one person does or does not do will affect another.
We are now six months into 2020. Where has the year gone? What do we have to show for it? For one thing, if you are reading this, you have survived the worst pandemic of your lifetime. You have been able to confine yourself to your home, keeping yourself and others safe.
But life must go on and we cannot hide forever. So now we must embrace that life as we knew it six months ago has changed, and we must learn to adjust and take steps to ensure that we survive the next six months, and beyond.
The answer is simple. We should take care of ourselves and others. Be responsible citizens and follow health guidelines and the policies implemented by our officials. We are all in this together and what one person does or does not do will affect another.
Most of these you already know, and have heard over and over. But it is always good to be reminded, and who knows, you might learn something new.
1.
Stay home as much as you can. Limiting your exposure is one way to reduce the chances of getting infected. While most patients who get COVID-19 do recover, there is no way to tell who those persons may be.
2.
If you have to go out, take the necessary precautions. Wear your mask, keep your distance, avoid crowds, sanitize your hands frequently and don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth.
3.
When you return home, take the necessary precautions as well. Leave your shoes outside. Items brought out with you should be sanitized, such as your phone and purse. Take a shower and change your clothes before interacting with others at home.
4.
Wear your mask properly. If it’s not covering your nose and mouth with the bottom tucked under your chin all the time, you might as well not wear one. Don’t keep touching and adjusting your mask. Only handle by the ear loops when you take them off and discard properly.
5.
Do not share masks. PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. These are not meant to be shared.
6.
And you don’t have to take our mask off every hour to “breathe.” Healthcare workers have to wear masks for hours at a time without taking them off and are able to function and breathe normally. Taking off and handling your mask frequently is unsafe and increases risk of contamination and spread of infection.
Taking off and handling your mask frequently is unsafe and increases risk of contamination and spread of infection.
7.
If you use a non-medical or a reusable mask, make sure it is breathable and that it is washed once soiled or at least once a day.
8.
Continue taking your medications and following your doctors’ advice. Enough of the stress eating and bingeing on TV. You only have one body and staying healthy starts with you.
9.
Keep your appointments with your doctors. Many physicians are now online and can be reached through telemedicine.
10.
If you are sick, seek help. Do not be afraid of going to the hospital if you need to. Waiting too long to get treated may mean a worse outcome.
11.
Just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s true. Before you decide to share something you saw on social media, or before you decide to try some so-called miracle treatment or remedy, pause and think a bit — is this information accurate and can it do more harm than good? Use reliable scientific sources and not blogs or the recommendation of your neighbor’s-cousin’s-good friend who claims that it worked for him.
12.
Stay hopeful. While there is still much uncertainty, having a positive attitude can ease tension and anxiety.
And one day, this will be over. History has shown that life does and will go on. But history also tells us that this will happen again. We should take the lessons we’ve learned so that we and future generations will not be caught unawares the next time.