Silver Linings of COVID-19 Health and Public Health Recommendations

Photo by Em bé khóc nhè on Unsplash

I cancel a recent trip to Seattle because I am not feeling 100% and it seems wrong to bring whatever virus I might be brewing to the United States epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. This decision gives me an unexpected, though not unwelcome, week at home with a calendar, cleared like a just-shaken Etch-A-Sketch.

This unanticipated gift has me thinking about the silver linings that our current epidemic offers. I am not making light of the current situation and I implore members of my family and my friends, patients and colleagues, to take seriously the imperative public health recommendations. Thankfully, most people who contract COVID-19 have only a mild symptoms, but I am also mindful of those suffering more with this illness, as well as loved ones who have lost people during this epidemic.

I also know that social isolation leading to reduced employment and school closures will have a more detrimental impact on people with fewer resources. Kids who rely on school breakfast, lunch, snack and in some cases, dinner, will not only be going without school but also without nutrition. There are food pantries and food banks in most every…