What You Need to Know About The Coronavirus
I look back on the article below from early February with nostalgia. It seems impossible that only 6 weeks ago, COVID-19 seemed like a threat that might be kept far away from our shores.
Along with the rest of you, Kinder has been following and learning about this pandemic as the status changes rapidly. Our recommendations have also continued to adapt to new information.
For the most up-to-date information, please see our COVID-19 page.
Stay inside. Stay well.
We will get through it together.
Much love,
Dr. Amy and the Kinder Team
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Let's talk about this new virus that is dominating our news channels and conversations.
First, imagine this headline: deadly virus moves through the world. In the U.S alone, it has infected 19 million people and caused 10,000 deaths so far in the last four months.
It’s true. And it’s the Flu. The Coronavirus is on all of our minds, for good reason. The unknown is always the scariest, and the media has created a narrative of science fiction proportions. But if we look at just the facts: - The annual flu is much more deadly. - Almost all the deaths so far have been in China, where the entire healthcare infrastructure has collapsed due to overload. - It is highly unlikely to be infected by a person who is not currently sick. I get it. A part of my brain reacts with fear at the news, too. I’m also sad to watch China deal with this crisis, thinking of the place I spent my early childhood and of the patients there who are having so much trouble getting care. But if I put on my doctor hat, I’d say it’s a good idea to be cautious, but we don’t need to panic or alter our lives significantly as a result of the Coronavirus at this point.
I would recommend: - Delaying trips to China for now. It probably won’t be fun now anyway. And even if you don’t get exposed to the virus, the healthcare system is so overwhelmed, I think it’s risky to travel somewhere with so little option for medical care. - Stay away from actively sick people, and especially keep young babies away from them. Whether that’s flu, Coronavirus, Norovirus... - If somebody just came back from China and has a fever, maybe call instead of visit for now. - If you were exposed and are now sick, I would have a lower threshold to get a very bad cough checked out. For my our Kinder patients, I would have parents use the blood oxygen test in their Kinder Kit if we had any worries about an abnormal cough, and of course we can always use the remote Stethoscope for me to listen to their lungs anytime and from anywhere.
And now you may ask - what if we have the flu?
Check out our Kinder Family Resources for flu here.
I hope the epidemics of Coronavirus turns around soon as the world comes together in our problem solving mode. For those of us who are not in the immediate hot zone, let’s wash our hands, use our best judgment, and take care of ourselves and loved ones.
Much love,
Dr. Amy and the Kinder Team
This post is current as of February, 1, 2020. Information on this blog is intended for education purposes only and cannot be taken as medical advice without an established doctor-patient relationships. Never delay or ignore medical advice from your own doctor due to information from Kinder. Call 911 right away if you are experiencing a medical emergency.