Don’t be a vector
It was a month and half ago, seems longer though, when we heard about the novel coronavirus. Flu-like symptoms, with bad outcomes for a few. The part that was confusing, right off the bat, was the young and seemingly healthy unable to beat the virus. Immediately two schools of thought emerged, one camp claiming this is propaganda and it is no different than the flu and in fact less severe. (True in some cases.) And another camp that forewarned the population that this is going to get bad, very fast. (Also, annoyingly true.)
I sit in the third camp of people that are screaming we do not have accurate data. How are we assessing this pandemic with unreliable data? These are the nations and demographics that baffled me, just to name a few: –
China: How many people did we lose before the virus was identified? How many were denied testing because of shortage? What is the number of untested low-risk individuals that survived?
Italy: Are the numbers so high because of an aging population? Or is it because we had access to more testing?
India: The numbers are less than 500, at the moment. How is that possible with the population density and proximity? We neighbor China.
USA: There’s a strict selection criterion you need to pass before you will be eligible for testing. I’m thinking at this point it’s easier to get into Harvard. (Ok not really, but you get my point.)
[image error]Global case numbers are reported by the World Health Organization (WHO)
Epidemiologists are trying to make sense of Covid19 and the data they are presented with. As an engineer, I would be appalled, naah I would flat out refuse to make decisions based on the above. But then again, I’m not tasked with predicting and preparing for the future of humanity. In my examples above, I am not faulting anyone or any government. All I am saying is that we seem to be working off dodgy data. In the biz we call it GI- GO, garbage in garbage out.
Reflection- did you notice how in my statements above, in reference to China, Italy, India and the US I say “we”? We really are in it together, the world over. What Italy is grappling with, is the fear we face worldwide. I know I’m stating the obvious but it is our responsibility to not be the vector. Do not be the super carrier, the one that gives covid19 to the vulnerable.
If your mind goes to senior citizens as the vulnerable, you are right but you are also naïve to think it is limited to pensioners. People with heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes all fit the bill. Also diabetes isn’t just type 2 that adults get, there is also type 1 (Millennials, think Nick Jonas) that children and young adults get. Then there is my core group, cancer patients. During chemotherapy my white blood cells took a considerable hit, lowering the body’s immune system. Covid19 makes everything worse for patients and their care givers. They need to be even more vigilant, a level of anxiety I cannot imagine. Who else? Children with underlying health conditions like asthma and congenital ailments.
Furthermore, there’s sub category- people that have been scheduled for or have had surgery recently. Surgery, blood loss, the body trying to heal, puts them at a risk. Then there’s elective surgery, and sadly we continue to misunderstand this subgroup. I know off a breast cancer patient coming up on her double mastectomy date. She chose to do a bilateral removal, as did I and other survivors I know. She has now been denied surgery on her non-cancer side. They will remove her cancer-side, once she has healed, the drains removed, and she is done with radiation therapy they will consider the non-cancer side. When allowed she will have to go through another major surgery, drain on one side, a whole round of antibiotics and pain meds while facing increased risk complications.
Finally my soft spot, my weak spot… the physicians in my life. I have too many doctors and health care professionals that I care for and love. From my mother to the cancer center nurses, my closest cousin to my OB, the radonc who saved my life to the pediatrician who has cared for my babies; I want them safe. They are on the front lines and I worry.
Coronavirus consequences are not as straightforward as we would’ve hoped. We can debate over the ambiguity of spread and death rate. But there should be one thing we can agree on- don’t be a vector, self-isolate and help stop the spread.
