Thank you, Wide World of News readers.
I have been touched and heartened by the responses I have gotten from so many of you since I asked for your help in the last edition.
Government officials, business leaders, nurses, doctors, patients, parents, and more – so many of you have written to me already to share what you know, what you’ve seen, what encourages you, and what concerns you.
Please continue to reply to these emails with your links, your best practice ideas, and your availability for video interviews.
I will have additional content to share in the upcoming editions, but I decided to break off from following up on more of your emails to publish the items that are ready to go and I believe are important to share now.
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1. I have heard from many of you something I fervently believe: there is simply nowhere enough information being delivered to citizens. We need more PSAs (airing on ALL platforms and as part of ALL types of content). We need the media to focus less on partisanship, politicians, process, and personalities – and more on information, even if it is repetitive.
Of the challenges the nation faces, this is in many ways to easiest to meet. But it is going to take fundamentally changing away from an orientation of business as usual and towards an intense focus on the public good. This applies to the news media as well as all other content providers and platforms.
One idea I got: Netflix is a place for escape for many. But there should be entertaining PSAs on there for the next month at least.
Dr. Fauci was on the “Pardon My Take” sports podcast recently. Two of my readers pointed to this appearance as effective, but it begs for more doctors and others who can draw a crowd to appear in more unusual places.
One called Fauci’s appearance “the single best PR piece I’ve heard. Every parent of 20 somethings (I have four) needs to listen to this to get on board regarding how serious this virus is! We listened as a family and all got on board.”
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2. Here is the single most informative video I was sent about how to operate your household to minimize the chances of getting the virus.
The presentation is by Dr. David Price, an ICU doctor at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.
This video is long. I have watched it all the way through three times now. I urge you to not only watch it yourself, but to have all the grandparents, children, older and younger people in your life view it too. Make them watch it without distraction, all the way through. The first four minutes or so are not as informative as the rest of the video, so stay with it.
Dr. Price’s information is most valuable for two reasons: it is scientifically accurate (based on what we now know) and it is optimistic. As Price points out, it is in fact relatively easy to minimize to close to zero the risks of getting the virus. The virus is easily beaten off when one knows what to do.
I will say it again: set aside an hour for yourself to watch, then make sure all of your loved ones set aside an hour, then share share share it with others.
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3. Based on Dr. Price’s information and other things I have taken in, I believe it is important to focus on what the current research says about HOW one can get the virus. Some very small number of infections come from airborne materials. Some larger number of infections come from a person picking the virus up off of a surface and then touching the face. The largest number seems to come from extended, close interactions between someone who is infected and someone who is not. To state the obvious, this is why physical distancing is so important now, especially because asymptomatic people can spread the virus.
It is also why there is no substitute for both keeping your hands washed/sanitized and not touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. With the exception of the few cases of infection by airborne material, you can protect yourself with clean hands and no face touching.
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4. I believe the confusion over masks is unnecessary. As long as professional masks are not being taken away from health care providers, EVERYONE SHOULD WEAR A MASK IN PUBLIC. (It can be a scarf, bandana, or t-shirt if a mask is not available.)
In Asia, there has long been a culture of people with colds or flu wearing masks. It is considered thoughtful and a sign of seriousness about not spreading disease/germs. We need that culture in America NOW.
People shouldn’t look at mask wearers as strange or dangerous.
Masks serve two purposes. In those who have or might have the virus, masks make it less likely that anything will come out of the mouth or nose that could infect others, either directly or by leaving droplets on surfaces.
In Hong Kong, for instance, they have near universal masking because the height of viral shedding is on the second and third day of infection when many individuals are still asymptomatic.
In those who are trying to avoid infection, masks keep people from touching their mouths, noses, and eyes.
There is an argument that is made that masks are a bad idea because they give people a false sense of security, that masks could lead people to slack off on physical distancing and hand washing.
That argument should be considered a strawman. We need to change the culture and practice of America NOW and for the foreseeable future. Physical distancing + hand washing + no face touching + masks. We need it all.
The Washington Post reports that the CDC is considering recommending masks. We should do it.
Related to masks, here is some essential reading from “Science.” It is an interview with George Gao, director-general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Gao recommends masks, but there are a lot of other parts of this interview that are worth reading.
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5. This Washington Post animated graphic is another strong piece of content to share with those in your life who don’t appreciate the necessity of physical distancing:
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6. Leave your shoes outside.
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7. Here are two other important on-going resources:
* This data is used by the White House for its own modeling.
* Set up Twitter alerts to see everything sent out by Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner, who is data-driven, energetic, and interested in solving this problem without regard to politics.
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8. Developments about which to be optimistic now:
* There are indications from Washington State, the Bay Area in northern California, and a national thermometer company, that regional and national physical distancing could be having an impact on the number of new infections.
* There is a good idea for an app to trace social contacts of those who test positive.
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9. Developments about which to be concerned now:
* Workers on the front lines of the distribution of goods are understandably concerned about their conditions and safety. Employers need to focus on doing what is right immediately.
* There are indications that rioting and looting could become a major problem in southern Italy. Governors in the United States need to be on guard for this possibility.
* Many governors in states that have not been overrun yet are facing a challenge balancing their big cities with their rural areas. People in cities are more likely to know someone who has been infected and to take physical distancing seriously. They are also less likely to be skeptical of the dangers of the virus and more likely to be liberal and open to big government solutions.
While rural areas have smaller populations and less density, they also have less health care capacity. Southern and Western states in particular get a lot of their revenue from the cities but have lots of population in rural areas.
This challenge – a tale of two types of areas, cities and small towns – is very hard to solve. Cities have bigger budgets and numerically bigger problems. Rural areas have less money but if the virus spreads there, the human problems will in many ways be just as big.
It is this dilemma that caused the White House to explore creating tiers of concern based on counties.
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10. Inevitable developments to be concerned about this summer and fall:
When physical distancing restrictions begin to be lifted, all sorts of questions will be raised for society, employers, and public spaces.
Here are just some of the issues that Wide World of News readers are already thinking and concerned about, all of which will be exacerbated when and if there is another wave of infection in the fall or winter.
* Redoing work spaces and rules so people are comfortable in their places of employment. Conference room layouts; meetings; meal breaks; masks; sick days; elevators; cleaning – there are an endless number of questions.
* Public spaces need to be re-imagined so that people feel comfortable and safe. Challenges await with air, rail, bus, and other transportation; parks, beaches; clubs; swimming pools; malls; stores; hotels: arenas, stadiums, and other entertainment venues; restaurants; bars; houses of worship; etc.
* How will older people be accommodated?
* What happens to education institutions, including colleges and universities (many of which will face financial ruin if they aren’t full of tuition-paying students come September), and K-12 schools (which will face staffing, cleaning, and wellness issues like they have never seen before)?
* Most basically, if someone in a public space is suspected of being infected, how will co-workers, bosses, fellow patrons, etc. react?
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11. Something to be sad about now:
This story about widespread death and infection at a Massachusetts residence for veterans is heart-breaking.
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12. Something to be heartened by now:
This story by Lauren Sausser of the Post and Courier in South Carolina, with some practical advice for parents, but also this lovely ending:
Last but not least, try be kind.
Be kind to your spouse. Be kind to your children. Even when you don’t feel like it. Especially when you don’t feel like it. I feel your pain. I know what it’s like when your children refuse to eat dinner. When they resist bedtime. When the schedule implodes. When you’re so depleted you want to hide in the dark pantry. But this will pass.
My children won’t remember much about the coronavirus when they’re older. They’re too young. But I read something on Instagram the other day that really hit home: “Most young kids will remember how their family home felt during the coronavirus panic more than anything specific about the virus. Our kids are watching us and learning about how to respond to stress and uncertainty. Let’s wire our kids for resilience, not panic.