Tag: #coronavirus

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“Prescriptions for the Pandemic” Weeks 8 & 9

Week 8

This week we added theme music!! My preacher is really making this a thing!

We discussed the new cases in the state and how we had to start amping up after only 2 short weeks of a break.

Texas had become a leader in COVID cases within the past week–not something to be proud of. We had a discussion about the factors that may have contributed to this, and ways we could help these numbers slow.

We went back and revisited the basics of prevention of COVID-19–you can find these in my blog posts, here. See the sections on symptoms, prevention and risk factors.

Week 9

In this week’s episode, we acknowledged that we were in new territory–we are now exceeding the previous spike in activity.

Honestly, this one was more of a conversation. We discussed the differing presentations of COVID-19. We touched on treatment, or lack thereof, for the virus. Population demographics were discussed briefly.

I’ve encouraged people to have discussions with their loved-ones and friends prior to having gatherings, even small ones, to ensure they are on the same page.

We broached the subject of children returning to school. At that time, I hadn’t read this article about childcare centers who stayed open during lock downs, and this position statement hadn’t come out from the American Association of Pediatrics. (New York Times also did an article about their position that can be accessed here.) I still feel iffy about a return to in-person classes, unless the districts can make some very huge infrastructural changes. Standardized testing at this time–just plain insane!

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“Prescriptions for the Pandemic” Week 6 and 7

Week 6

In Week 6, we discussed five social activities and their relative risk. taken from this article.

  • Backyard Gatherings of fewer than 10 people–low to medium risk
  • Eating indoors at a restaurant–medium to high risk activity
  • Attending a religious servous–high risk
  • Spending a day at a popular beach or pool–low risk IF you can keep appropriate social distancing
  • Outdoor celebrations of greater than 10 guest
  • s–medium to high risk

We also touched on safety guidance for protests in light of another public health issue–racisim.

Since our discussion, TMA has offered this guidance:

Week 7

This week, we went into detail discussing the increased cases in Texas. It was important for me to point out that this had nothing to do with the protests, because it was much too soon to see an increase in numbers just yet.

We also covered what you should do if you went to the protests–how you could protect those around you if you thought you may have been exposed to a high risk situation.

We covered what masks ACTUALLY do–it’s more about loving your neighbor, and less about self protection. You should still wear one.

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SARS-CoV-2: All your questions answered–UPDATE

It seems that Sars-CoV-2 is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s interesting. When I was first discussing the true scientific impact of what was becoming a pandemic with my father, he looked at me and said something like, “This is going to change everything forever.” I thought he was being a little over dramatic. Silly me. I should have known, my father, who is really not the dramatic type, just fully grasped the social part of the situation while I was merely blinded by the science.

My minister approached me and asked me to do this thing sort of out of my comfort zone. I like being behind my computer and writing–or one on one with a patient. But also, when you’re called to use your gifts, you do it (Luke 12:48, Matt 25:14-30)–so I said yes. Below are questions we’ll discuss. I’ll make links available as I find we discuss topics, and will try to update the topics with more detail based on questions. But please be gracious–I do have a full time job and children :-).

What is SARS-CoV-2? What is COVID-19?

How does Sars-CoV-2 operate and how does it affect the body?

 What are the symptoms of Covid-19?

What groups are most at risk?

What are some of the steps for protecting ourselves from the virus?

From a medical perspective, are we doing the right thing by practicing social distancing, and shutting down businesses?

What medical treatments are available for a person who contracts this virus?

What does the recovery process look like?

When should a person be tested?

How do testing sites work? What options does the uninsured person have?

Premiere Episode of “Prescriptions for the Pandemic“

Second Episode of “Prescriptions for the Pandemic”

Previous COVID-19 post

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