Even before the May 25 killing of George Floyd in police custody drew large crowds of protesters into the streets of U.S. cities, people were beginning to throng beaches, bars and restaurants. Whether for economic, social or political reasons, our home confinement seems to be ending.
Or is it?
Public health officials warn that a hasty reopening will generate a second wave of COVID-19 infections. That could delay a return to economic and social normalcy ― or even force us back under house arrest ― as long as there’s no reliable therapy or vaccine.
So while it may seem counterintuitive as people finally come out of the woodwork, now is an opportune moment to talk about doubling down on preparations for the duration of the pandemic. Indeed, the conversation is as important as ever, since social distancing has begun to fade, heightening the risk of spreading infection.
“It’s good to be prepared,” says Dr. Alex Chen, chief medical officer of Health Net of California, which insures over 3 million of the state’s residents.
Nobody can be 100% safe from the coronavirus, and the extent of your preparations will depend on your anxiety level, personality and resources.
Everyone should at least follow the standard advice, which in my home ― and, I suspect, in many others — demands frequent reiteration: Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds. Wipe down commonly used surfaces in the house with disinfectants, especially as people come and go. The Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov) publishes a list of agents that neutralize the COVID-19 virus.
And be sure to have a face mask or other facial covering to wear when you go out.
If you want to avoid frequent trips outside the house, stock up on food and prepare a kit containing painkillers, fever reducers, allergy and cold medications and a thermometer (if you can find one). Oh, and stop worrying about toilet paper; it has reappeared on many store shelves.
Sangeeta Ahluwalia, a senior health policy researcher at the Santa Monica-based think tank Rand Corp. and a mother of two young girls, keeps an ample supply of food, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines on hand, so she can be “as homebound as possible.”
She and her husband have packed bags in case one of them needs to go to the hospital, and she has programmed directions into the GPS systems of their cars.
“I definitely realize I’m not the average person when it comes to this,” Ahluwalia says.
As we’ve learned from the first round of the epidemic, digital capability is also essential. The need for reliable Wi-Fi and videoconferencing technology is a no-brainer if you work remotely. It’s important for other reasons, too.
“Everybody should know how to use Zoom or some other video app, so they can talk to their friends. Loneliness makes any of us feel anxious or sad,” says Dr. Bob Kocher, a senior fellow at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC and a partner focusing on health care information technology at Venrock, a venture capital firm in Palo Alto, California.
Such technology also comes in handy for conversations with your doctor. (If you don’t have a regular doctor, try to find one.) During the pandemic, many physicians and hospitals are strongly encouraging, and in some cases insisting on, virtual rather than face-to-face visits — at least until they diagnose a problem requiring direct physical treatment.
Most insurers are waiving their enrollees’ out-of-pocket costs for such telehealth visits if they are related to diagnosing COVID-19, and many health plans are waiving cost sharing for all telehealth visits — though some patients are still getting billed for them.
Call your health plan and ask about its policy on paying for telehealth. Many health plans contract with a telehealth company such as Teladoc, Doctor on Demand or MD Live. Keep the contact number or app handy.
With enough information, a doctor can use a digital consultation to prescribe medications, suggest ways to resolve your symptoms without an in-person appointment or determine if you need to come in.
If you are having a virtual visit rather than going to the doctor’s office, your physician might appreciate readings from one of the wearable or other internet-connected devices that track vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar.
“People know if they are starting to feel bad. The benefit of the wearable technology is you have real data you can describe to your doctor,” says Steve Koenig, vice president of market research for the Consumer Technology Association in Arlington, Virginia.
But buyer (and doctor) beware: Accuracy varies among the different technologies. You can research them at multiple websites, including Tom’s Guide (www.tomsguide.com), Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org) and The Wirecutter (www.wirecutter.com).
Many physicians recommend that people at high risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 purchase a pulse oximeter, if they can afford it. Pulse oximeters are small electronic devices that typically clip onto a finger to measure your blood oxygen and your heart rate. They have been in high demand and short supply since the discovery that oxygen levels in some COVID-19 patients drop to dangerously low levels before they begin to feel ill.
The cost of these gadgets ranges from under $50 to over $1,000, but as with the apps and wearables, their accuracy may vary widely.
You can read reviews of pulse oximeters and order one online, but it will likely take more than a month to arrive.
“I think it’s better to order it and wait until it comes, because we are going to be in this for the long haul,” says Dr. David Eisenman, a professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and the Fielding School of Public Health.
Another technological tool you might consider is one of the so-called contact tracing apps, with names such as Care19, CovidSafe, Covid Watch and NOVID. Downloaded to smartphones, they record your movements over several days and alert you if you’ve been in proximity to someone who is infected with or has been exposed to the virus — but only if that person also has downloaded the app and reports honestly.
As more people use such apps and share their information, the tools will become more effective, public health experts say. But so far, they have been poorly received in the United States — due in large part to privacy concerns. Google and Apple, which launched an app last month, cited privacy in their decision to withhold key data from public health officials who are trying to track the disease.
Still, some health professionals say the mere existence of these apps is a good start.
“Even a small number of people doing this will be helpful,” says Kocher. “It will help contact tracers from the county or elsewhere if people they contact have downloaded one of these apps.”
–Bernard Wolfson, Kaiser Health News
FlaglerLive relies on a strong core of donors. But they’re just a fraction of the 25,000 readers who daily depend on FlaglerLive for reliable, fearless reporting and analysis you cannot get anywhere else. If you’re still on the sidelines, we need you to join the Friends of FlaglerLive today. Elections, storms, the latest catastrophe - when dependable and factual local reporting will be more essential than ever, take a stand for integrity and have a direct voice in fostering serious journalism in your community. As little as $10 makes a difference, or better still, become a monthly donor: Become a "Friend of" FlaglerLive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donations are tax deductible. Think of it as buying a "scoop", in every sense of the term!
Reader Interactions
Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Rosie says
The shutdown is coming and for many smart and informed Amercians it has never ended. If you are one of the ones who has been fooled by this administration or by your local govenor into going back out into public places , you need to check yourself. You are the pawn, or the test rat I should say. Nothing has changed foe the better and cases are rising all across the country espeacialy Florida! Someone said to me the other day, it should be safe now because its warn out lmao! Could you imagine some people believe yhe stupidest stuff! America is shutting down again and this time will be wayy worse.
Regulator says
Why are your beliefs better than anyone else’s . And please don’t tell that such and such expert says so. I can get 10 experts and will get 10 different answers . Like it or not people have do what they think is better for themselves .
Sharon says
I did not state my beliefs, i stated FACTS. You can not have an opinion on facts. If you dont belive the facts that makes you wrong. Opinions are the way You feel. But if you feel you dont like the facts, that makes you wrong not opionated. “Orange is a nice color” that is an opinion. “Covid 19 is like the flu” that is a false statement.
Jane Gentile-Youd says
Sadly I totally concur with Rosie. Sadly also are those who think they are imprisoned in their homes which they might never had had if our brave men and women didn’t give their lives – thousands died on D Day June 6, 1944 – American, French, British and yes Germans who because of an insane war also died. Has anyone watch the films of young kids , scared to death, bunt there at Normandy to protect our freedom we have today. And we complain that we are asked to cover our mouths with a 1 ounce piece of cloth?
Our world has become so ‘me me me’ that it makes me sick to my stomach when people complain because they are ‘asked to wear’ a mask… we are so damn spoiled and self centered in my opinion. I just thank God for every day I wake up and would never be able to live with myself if I gave some deadly virus to some innocent person because I had a right to protect my ‘rights’… What about caring for safety of others( since it has been proven that one can be carrier but not a ‘victim) Where is our common sense?
Cody says
Good For You and Rosie… I have been saying this to anyone who would listen … deaf ears
I think that we did the reopening to fast, we are going to get hit hard next go around, it is already beginning 1700 new cases today — to all 1st Responders, MD field, etc. THANK YOU
Maria Darcy says
Rosie, Did you mean to fire up people that may disagree with you? Your comments “smart and informed”, “fooled by this administration”, “you need to check yourself”, words like “pawn” and “test rat”, really??? What gives you the idea that anybody would agree to a shut down again? I hope that you are well, stay healthy, live your best life, and refrain from judging those of us that have a different view of this issue.
Concerned Citizen says
We opened up way to soon. And here is why.
If you noticed a lot of the re-opening happened around Memorial Day weekend. Mighty convienient right? No. It was planned. for many states Memorial Day weekend is a major holiday weekend. It traditionally starts off summer. And therefore no one wants to miss out on the revenue. Revenue is exactly why De Santis did a half ass lock down for Florida. After allowing Spring Break and Bike Week to continue. All the while confirmed cases were spreading. Why even bother with a lock down when you failed to restrict travel and declared a multi page list of ‘Essential Services”
This article had an alarmist title but maight be correct. We know that Covid19 has a wide range of effects on the population. We also know from prior pandemics that they happen in multiple waves. Coupled with all of the hasty re-opening and nationwide protests we just opened a whole pandoras box for this thing to have it’s way with us.
And we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
Greg says
I personally feel that this was mostly a democratic ploy to destroy the a Trump economy. This virus seems no worse than the common flu. Most deaths were nursing home related. Many deaths were not caused by the virus, but reported it as the cause as it paid more. I had corvid19 and it was no worse then the flu, and I’m 70. People were used and now they are telling us the masks are if not use to stop this virus. Just another American ripoff in corrupt America.
Sad Times says
Well, Greg…you make Rosie’s point.
You were lucky. Your biological makeup was able to withstand the disease.
You totally forgot the rest of the population. Some have a strong resistance…as you did.
However, there are others….whom you have absolutely no empathy for…whose biological makeup…cannot withstand the disease.
Seems to me…your attitude is…I survived…to hell with others. I guess you are OK with that, sadly.
Sherry says
The completely mindless FOX/trump “CULT” members who continuously horrifically disrespect the lives and souls and families and loved ones of over 114,000 people this virus has killed, in the US alone. . . by calling it “no worse than the flu” . . . are despicable, ignorant, human beings! May you reap what you sow! You are a pariah to our society and community!
Trailer Bob says
Well, well, well, what a nice person you are…not.
You just told millions of people that you are right and they are wrong, you have called an entire half of the population idiots, bad people.b And I quote, “completely mindless FOX/trump “CULT” members who continuously horrifically disrespect the lives and souls and families and loved ones of over 114,000 people this virus has killed”. Huh?
Seems to me that you are actually more radical than the people you despise…you know…your neighbors, co-workers, people you never even met?
This is not the way you get people to listen to you, and it is NOT the way to treat other Americans just because you apparently want others to take care of you with other peoples money…there…I did it without calling people names.