Remember back in February when everyone advised each other to stay at home, wear a mask, wash your hands to avoid spreading the virus? I don’t know about where you live but things here had improved quite a bit and the number of daily cases was quite low.
In New York State, the numbers are rising again and I don’t hear the same concern from people. We are hitting over 5000 new cases per day across the state – up from around 1000 in August.
You don’t need a crystal ball to see what is going to happen in the coming weeks with Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching. I am no fortune teller but I absolutely expect a big spike and a lot of unhappy post holiday isolations and quarantines.
I am not judging – I too have been hoping to spend Thanksgiving with some family members in Virginia on my trip south to spend the month of December with Mother Fran. My plan was to stay was to spend the night with my sister in VA, enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and hang out with her family, including seven of her grandkids. It is so easy to make plans and then get reminded that we are in the middle of a contagious pandemic.
I have decided to alter my plans but still get in a bit of family time. I will drive to VA on Thanksgiving day and hang out with Child #2, her husband and some of their family. I will stay outdoors (mask on), eat a quick lunch and then head back on the road for 2 more hours to get a bit closer to my final destination. I can see my loved ones and maintain a low risk of infecting or becoming infected with COVID19. These are simple steps to take and my family is worth it!
I hope this places me in the cautious category of holiday revelers!
I imagine we are all struggling with the right thing to do during this pandemic. Thanksgiving is a holiday to be enjoyed with loved ones. It is a time to be with our favorite people, engaged in conversations, food and games. Not being able to do that seems WRONG on so many levels. But we need to look at the bigger picture. All it takes is one loved one to be sick and the entire family is at risk. Some see this pandemic from the view that most people recover and return to their lives. They see it like they see the flu. This graphic below shows that it can be (and is) much worse.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 10,984,398 Americans have been infected with COVID 19. As I write this, 245,470 Americans have died. I have seen on Facebook people who want to minimize those numbers. They state that deaths are being attributed to COVID19 that should be blamed on some other pre-existing condition.
My question is does it matter? Dead is dead in my book. Yes people with pre-existing conditions are at a greater risk – but if COVID is what brought them into the hospital it certainly played a major role in their death.
According to the CDC, 6 in 10 adults in the US have a chronic disease and 4 in 10 have 2 or more. The people who fall into this category are at a higher risk of contracting, for being hospitalized, and for dying from COVID19.
We are in the throes of a pandemic that is killing us.
We are also in the throes of several epidemics that are also killing us. The obesity epidemic, the chronic disease epidemic, the mental health epidemic. We are a seriously sick nation and getting sicker.
I am certain that every one of us knows someone who suffers from a chronic condition. Every single one of us knows someone who suffers from a mental health condition. Every single one of us knows someone who is obese. Chronic inflammation has stoked the embers and COVID19 is going to fan the flame of poor health. Check out this post for more information on chronic inflammation.
We need to protect those of us that fall into any of these categories. Those of us who are not in great health, those of us who are elderly, those of us whose immune systems are weakened.
I guarantee that cases of COVID19 will increase in every state in our county during this holiday season. That means more sick people, more hospitalizations more deaths. It means more medical personnel placed at higher risk simply because they are doing their jobs.
Think back to March 2020 – we implored each other to stay home to reduce the risk of infection. That is still the safest route to take. I am unable to stay home but I can take steps to decrease my exposure, to see my loved ones and to keep myself safe. I have precious cargo you see… I am on my way to Mother Fran. I am on caregiver duty for the month of December and gearing up for Canasta, Rummy and Tripoly.
What steps are you prepared to take to get into the cautious category this holiday season? Your loved ones are worth it.
What steps are you taking to maximize your health?
Update: As of November 23, 2020, the CDC reports 12,175,921 have become infected nationwide and 255,958 have died. A lot of new cases and new deaths since I initially wrote this post.
Lake Girl
