A PSA on COVID-19

Kalaneya

Friends,

I am an internal medicine physician working in a large teaching hospital in New York City, which some of you know already. I am physically and emotionally exhausted after a week of 12 hr shifts taking care of very sick patients with coronavirus and trying to steer a very large hospital in very new direction.

I am here to beg you all, please stay home. 

People are sick. People are dying. Many more people will die. 

We do not have the resources to help everyone and we are scraping by to help ourselves in that we are relying on the generosity of others to feed us, clothe us, and give us protective equipment to prevent us from getting sick so we can keep going. The numbers are worse than you think because we simply do not have the resources to test everyone.

No, you shouldn't gather. No, you shouldn't travel. Please do not visit your elderly parents or grandparents whenever possible.

I hate being so negative, but this is the worst situation I have ever seen in my life and I simply am unable to believe that people don't think this is a real thing that is happening.

We cannot help everyone. We definitely cannot help everyone without your help, and the best way you can help is to stop spreading this virus. I know that many, many people will be thrown into poverty due to lost jobs and wages and my heart cries for you, but please stay home. I want all of you to be safe, healthy, and alive. I will answer as many questions as I can here.

Here's to hoping for many more stories together.

All my best,
Caroline

Ghibli

Second all of that. Please stay safe everyone. I'll add that I know many people here have technical capabilities and there are a lot of ways you can help while staying isolated in your homes; there are many projects that are helping to coordinate data collection for research as well as coordinating resources between those in need, including physicians. You can find some here https://helpwithcovid.com/. 

Xenthos

My main contribution is just: Listen to the professionals / specialists.  For example, if you're prohibited from visiting your elderly relatives in the nursing home, don't try to sneak in.  Pick up the phone.  These people are incredibly vulnerable, they can't go anywhere, it's not worth risking them and everyone around them.