thinking beyond ourselves (from fb - 20200315)

(this is a post I originally made on facebook, copied here and backdated so I can look back on it later)

I have a cousin who is extremely pregnant, I have a friend who is extremely pregnant. I have friends who are at severe risk because of cancer and other illnesses, friends with kids who are immunocompromised because of leukemia. I have older friends, sick friends, young friends, healthy friends...all are at risk.

I'm guessing that most people have someone in their lives who is in danger because of this virus. Even if you are healthy, if you are not showing any symptoms, you could unknowingly spread it.

We need to make sure our emergency facilities and hospitals can handle what is coming. This means slowing down the spread, "flattening the curve" of people needing emergency help, slowing down the spikes of need. People will still get sick, they may still die, but we need to do all we can to make sure that our hospitals and emergency personnel aren't overwhelmed and helpless.

Please please please think beyond yourself right now. Skip the party, avoid the festival, don't go to the bar, give each other space. Everything we can do now could save lives in the coming days.

Don't panic. But do think, and empathize, and realize that this is a *global* issue, and only by thinking beyond ourselves can we get things under control.

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center