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It is not surprising that many areas in the state and
country are getting restless. There have been demonstrations
at state capitals and in the cities. People are worried
about our economy and the ability of businesses to recover.
So now, the fear of contagion is coupled with the worry of
financial ruin.
Medically, we are seeing the unintended downstream issues
with patients' health. People are afraid to go the emergency
room so untreated medical catastrophes of heart attacks and
strokes are increasing. Many "elective procedures" are
overdue and mental health problems are worsening. As so, we
must have a plan, and as I've written about before, the plan
is not set in stone; it is fluid and must flex based on the
best available current information. Remember that we have to
learn to live with COVID-19 going forward, which means face
masks, social distancing and good hand hygiene. We have been
successful in flattening the curve and every day we see
this, particularly in the hard-hit areas of the country. NYC
is slowly but surely seeing fewer hospitalization,
fatalities and intubations. Governor Hogan wants to see a
trending down over 14 days before we can start relaxing our
shutdown.
Now, more than ever, we need to find our balance, just like
we should do for any problem we face. As we approach May,
just 9 days away, I think the path may start to emerge
slowly. In the meantime, be patient. Try to keep up with
healthy practices: restorative rest, healthy diet, daily
exercise, and get outside and try to get some sunshine.
Practice smiling; yes, you heard that right. We have a lot
to be thankful for and smiling causes the muscles in your
face to send signals via the nerves in your face which
causes your brain to release feel-good chemicals that are
calming and create optimism. Work on your breathing. If you
have never done yoga, give it a try, there are lots of
on-line apps On Facebook, if you search Columbia
Association, many of the instructors have posted fantastic
online videos for all sorts of workouts. Peloton
has a free trial subscription.
How about meditation? One of my favorite
books is 10% Happier, it
is an easy and entertaining read.
Finding balance also includes not spending too much time
watching the news; it so often creates more questions than
answers and that just causes unneeded anxiety.
The numbers:
US:
788,920 cases 42,458 deaths 5.4% fatality
rate (up)
Maryland:
14,193 cases
584 deaths
4.1% fatality rate (up)
Locally, HCGH remains stable.
Diagnostics and Therapeutics:
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Can COVID-19 be spread by
flatulence? Not a big concern.
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Nothing new to report.
On a musical note:
Let's stay on course; relax and find your balance with
Christopher Cross: Sailing
And on a lighter balancing note:
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