3/10: Seattle coronavirus update and ways to help
Friends and family,
I'm writing with an update on coronavirus and some information I'm hoping might be useful to you all (and I think we all know that if I can find an excuse to write a long email, I'll take it ). I've really struggled the last week with "the burden of knowledge" as I've come to call it -- feeling like I am so lucky to work where I work and have access to such incredible and reliable sources of information, but having a hard time efficiently getting good info out to the people I care about. I have so many text threads going at this point that I can't really keep track of what I've said to who. I also recognize that this is an environment where things are moving really quickly, and it's hard to know which sources of information are trustworthy.
I was talking to someone at work yesterday about how absolutely bizarre and surreal it is to be working on a global health pandemic when you're physically in one of the epicenters of the pandemic - and I'm looking for ways to feel less isolated in this.
So when I have the time, I'm going to try to send periodic updates that link to the best articles I've seen that are based on real data/facts (or are otherwise interesting), and also pass along requests I'm hearing from people about some real and easy ways to help that could make a difference. I'll also try to add in a personal update occasionally, just because I think it might be relevant to people who aren't here to have a sense of what it feels like to be living in Seattle right now, since what's happening here is likely coming your way soon (for better or worse).
But first, two requests to make sure these emails don't contribute to information overload:
Please DO NOT "reply all" to this email. Please just reply directly to me.
If you don't want to get these, just let me know and I'll take you off the list. I know we're all consuming a ton of information right now, and the last thing I want is to make anyone more stressed out! :)
(It also goes without saying that I'm not a doctor or a data scientist and nothing I'm recommending reflects official opinions of the Foundation - it's just the information that matches what really smart people seem to be saying).
Tl;dr (for the baby boomers on the list, this means "Too long; didn't read" and is just the shortest version of the information I'm trying to communicate);
A gif that explains why it's so important that we "flatten the curve" of this disease: https://thespinoff.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Covid-19-curves-graphic-social-v3.gif If we can slow this disease from spreading by doing what the CDC is telling us to do (wash your hands religiously and frequently, practice social distancing, don't go out if you're sick, etc) - then we buy ourselves some more time to get ready, and prevent everyone from getting sick all at once. If people don't get sick all at once, and it's spread out over time, then our hospitals are better able to treat people and less people will die.
If you want accurate data on the # of cases and deaths, this is a good website https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Also, I am so loathe to recommend cable news for anything and think it's partially responsible for the precipitous decline of the moral and civic fabric of America -- but desperate times... so if you have to watch it, I recommend Chris Hayes on MSNBC. He seems to understand the gravity/implications of what's happening and what our government is/isn't doing about it
Recommend following @mlipsitch and @mvankerkhove on Twitter - public health experts with good information
I Don't Know How To Make You Care About People (AHP https://annehelen.substack.com/p/i-dont-know-how-to-make-you-care) - why it's deeply unhelpful, and currently dangerous, to believe that if you're fine, then everything is fine
Recommended Articles
The Strongest Evidence Yet That America is Botching Coronavirus Testing (The Atlantic): https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-many-americans-have-been-tested-coronavirus/607597/
The Coronavirus Isn't Another Hurricane Katrina, It's Worse (WaPo): https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/coronavirus-isnt-another-hurricane-katrina-its-worse/2020/03/09/25c302f2-6224-11ea-acca-80c22bbee96f_story.html
Bill Gates Urged Trump to Invest In Pandemic Preparedness Two Years Ago (Stat News): https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/bill-gates-president-trump-pandemic-preparedness-investment/
The difference between containment and mitigation (The Hill): https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/486611-health-officials-move-to-mitigate-coronavirus-spread
What we're learning about coronavirus (Stat news): https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/06/were-learning-a-lot-about-the-coronavirus-it-will-help-us-assess-risk/
Ways to Help
I heard from someone yesterday in King County that one of the biggest things they're struggling with is how alone and forgotten the people in their shelters feel. I'm sure they feel this way most of the time - but especially now. It's the worst case scenario - a lot of immunocompromised people packed into really tight quarters without good access to healthcare. She said that a lot of their clients feel like they're facing a death sentence, and no one seems to be paying attention. The one thing she asked for - before funding, or volunteers, or anything else - was for people to send cards to shelters reminding residents that they weren't forgotten. I imagine it might be a similar scenario in nursing homes. Washington State just shut down visitor access to all nursing homes today. So if you're currently WFH, or have some time with your kids and need an art project - here's a list of all the shelters in Seattle. https://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/cgi-bin/id/city.cgi?city=seattle&state=WA I'm already going stir crazy here, and am going to try to send one card a day for however long this lasts (turns out hoarding greeting cards for the last 15 years is finally going to come in handy - I knew there was a reason for it!). If school hasn't been canceled yet where you live, maybe this could be a good project for your classes?
I'll try to keep these shorter moving forward! Also, if you have questions, reply to this or send me a text and i'll try to answer them!
xoxo,
Alison