Headlines informed us today that the Pope came down with a slight indisposition. He shook hands, he kissed a baby, and now has to quietly rest, and nurse his symptoms.
Coronavirus? Flu? Who knows, but we cannot live in fear says the good doc, Dr. Joel Rajnherc, a pediatrician by profession, now the head of the medical facility in San Nicolas.
Wednesday marked the day coronavirus became world-resident
A patient diagnosed in the USA tested positive for the new plague without any links to travel or direct contact, which means the illness is now in the environment, in the air, and probably here to stay for a while.
Apparently, because it yields mild symptoms, it is hard to detect, harder to control, and according to CNN, the disease must be seen as everyone’s problem.
Wash your hands well, teach your kids to wash their hands well, cough into your elbowed-sleeve or tissue Kleenex, stay home with the sniffles, don’t let your kids go to school with a runny nose, avoid large crowds, mega concerts/lectures, cruise ships, and any other petri dish conditions, drink tea with lemon, whiskey is good too, take paracetamol, and most importantly don’t be afraid, says Rajnherc.
Just live your life with common sense and good hygiene, he says, avoid touching your eyes and mouth, and don’t get sucked into the face mask hysteria.
These masks have become a personal statement, they don’t really do much, because they still let air in, and you still breathe particles in, in spite.
HOWEVER, if you have cold/flu symptoms, it is advisable to wear a mask, to protect other people from sharing your germs.
And don’t be duped into buying the $69 urban fashion variety, because there is a protocol that goes with it, in order for it to be effective, and we know YOU will find it an uncomfortable and threatening hassle.
Just like SARS, MERS and ZIKA it will come and go, and we should not be living in fear.
According to the good doctor, the new coronavirus as its name implies is a fresh variety, in a family of viruses, and eventually, it will make its way to Aruba. The question is not if, but when.
In about a year or so, we will have a vaccine, but meanwhile, let’s pay attention to risk groups, people with existing illnesses, heart conditions, cancer patients, people with a history of respiratory diseases such as asthma, our aging population whose immune systems are weak, these risk groups, are most likely to catch the virus if and when it comes our way.
It is far more dangerous to be anti-vac, and avoid vaccinations against measles, mumps, and rubella, says Rajnherc.
So, let’s stay calm, and collected, and avoid unnecessary damage to world economy in general, and to the island’s welbeing, we can handle this.