"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...
On 07/03/2020 09:34, Rod Speed wrote:


"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...
On 07/03/2020 08:12, Cynic wrote:
Admittedly from Facebook source so take it or leave it for accuracy but
worth thinking about.
"I'm a doctor and an Infectious Diseases Specialist. I've been at
this for more than 20 years seeing sick patients on a daily basis. I
have worked in inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa.
HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis,TB, SARS, Measles, Shingles, Whooping cough,
Diphtheria...there is little I haven't been exposed to in my
profession. And with notable exception of SARS, very little has left me
feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or downright scared.

I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the implications of a
novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and continues to
find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the
welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised
who stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of
this new scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19.

What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has
induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic,
stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb
shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95
masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they
are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are
being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even
more fear and suspicion of others. I am scared that our hospitals will
be overwhelmed with anyone who thinks they " probably don't have it but
may as well get checked out no matter what because you just never
know..." and those with heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia and
strokes will pay the price for overfilled ER waiting rooms with only so
many doctors and nurses to assess.

I am scared that travel restrictions will become so far reaching that
weddings will be canceled, graduations missed and family reunions will
not materialize. And well, even that big party called the Olympic
Games...that could be kyboshed too. Can you even
imagine?

I'm scared those same epidemic fears will limit trade, harm
partnerships in multiple sectors, business and otherwise and ultimately
culminate in a global recession.

But mostly, I'm scared about what message we are telling our kids when
faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, openmindedness and
altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious,
reactionary and self-interested.

Covid-19 is nowhere near over. It will be coming to a city, a hospital,
a friend, even a family member near you at some point. Expect it. Stop
waiting to be surprised further. The fact is the virus itself will not
likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and "fight
for yourself above all else" attitude could prove disastrous.

I implore you all. Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and
uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great
deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable
transmissible diseases in our society. Let's meet this challenge
together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and
above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as
opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing.

Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts.
Our children will thank us for it.

#washurhands #geturflushot #respect #patiencenotpanic

don't see the point of stockpiling food...

More fool you...

when you get it you won't be hungry ...

But when you are self isolating without having got it, you may well be.

why would I do that ? ...

Because it can take up to a month from you being
infected to showing symptoms and you can infect
others during that time before symptoms show up..

Thats how that pom who caught it at a conference
in singapore managed to infect so many in France
and the UK.