I’m not a healthcare professional but as a writer, I seek to summarize and share the information I’ve gathered from various credible sources.
I imagine that you’re taking COVID-19 seriously, but in case you’re in contact with someone who still doesn’t understand the seriousness of the situation, ask them to consider this:
COVID-19 is called the ‘NOVEL’ coronavirus because it’s new. It’s NOT the flu.
Why does that matter? Various strains of influenza have been circulating for generations, so — even when we can’t fight it off — at the very least, our immune systems are on alert.
Personified, the flu is the mischievous, industrious child on Halloween who visits the same home wearing different masks to get more candy. Your immune system is a crotchety old man reluctant to answer the door- alert and onto their tricks, he’s ready to tell the flu to keep it moving, season after season.
COVID-19 is a little old lady who’s new to the neighbourhood. She knocks on your immune system’s door donning a smile, holding a basket of homemade muffins, hiding her sinister agenda by offering false friendship. Since she doesn’t resemble anything dangerous that your immune system has come to recognize and be wary of, your immune system opens the door and welcomes her in.
By the time a bunch of the conniving little old lady’s big, strong friends storm through your front door, it’s too late for your immune system to gain ground. (In the mildest cases, COVID-19 will threaten your family and leave, perhaps taking your TV on its way; in the worst cases, it’ll pillage everything you own and burn the house to the ground.)
If you’re still not convinced to do your part to stop the spread, various sources say doctors in Italy have had to decide who lives and dies for the past week because their healthcare system is overwhelmed. Healthcare professionals around the world are doing more than their fair share to help our communities; we agree that they’re heroes — don’t force them to take on the role of the Grim Reaper. That’s not why they went through years of postsecondary school. Please respect them. Help them by practicing social distancing to stop the spread.
And while we’re on the subject, now is not the time to begin your career as a stunt double or a trapeze artist. (Whenever possible, save the hospital beds and healthcare resources for those who may suffer from complications due to COVID-19.)
Whatever your interests, the internet allows you to do so much from the comfort of your own home. Teach yourself another language, build a website, catch up on your favourite podcast, take an online exercise class, watch a comedy, take an online course, read an e-book, learn how to play an instrument or write a play or a poem… the list goes on.
Some communities wish they could go back in time to change their reaction to COVID-19; while that’s not possible, we can honour the mistakes made by acting in accordance with the lessons learned in the past number of weeks.
Stop the spread. Flatten the curve.
(I posted the above on Facebook, but I thought I’d share it here too. Stay safe!)
If you liked the above, you would really enjoy:
A work of art narrates its journey through time in this short story.
In the centuries since its creation, it has witnessed the joy of love and companionship, the heartache of loss, and hardship. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but what if the masterpiece you so admire silently muses at the countless wonders of humanity?
🇺🇸: Amazon.com users, click here.
🇬🇧: Amazon.co.uk users, click here.
Amber Green is a self-published Canadian author and freelance writer. Her short stories can be found here: www.amazon.com/author/ambergreen
© 2020 Amber Green