How would you feel?

Here I go again, jumping into a hornet’s nest that has controversy all over it. You knew I would get around to talking about the Pandemic, Masking, Vaccines, etc. eventually. Well, today is that day. Prompted by the news that there is a potential vaccine on the horizon that has been 90% effective in over 35k trial inoculations; on the same day as the State of Maine has set a record high for the most cases in a single day again with over 200 reported. Yes, I realize that 200 cases does not seem like a lot of cases compared to other global locations, but in a state with just over a million people that had been averaging less than 30 cases a day all summer, this is a big change.

I am excited at the prospect of a new vaccine for COVID-19; thrilled in fact. On this timeline, it is possible that it may even be available by 2nd quarter of 2021 barring any major setbacks. I expect however, that it will become the “new normal” that we start getting one of these every year, just like the normal flu vaccine as the realist in me is not convinced that we have seen the last of this virus. That right there should kick start a conversation with pro and anti vaxxers.

Personally, my wife and I have made sure that our son has received all of the doctor recommended vaccinations for a child his age on or soon after the recommended dates. We both received our vaccinations as children and have not suffered any adverse reactions, debilitating or even inconvenient illnesses as a result. We also have received flu shots more often than not, usually it is just a matter of remembering and finding a convenient time to do it. Now, I realize that there are some people who may be allergic to the medium in which the vaccinations are developed, primarily eggs and may not be able to be vaccinated. But what I do not understand is why a person without such a limitation would choose not to receive such preventative medicine?

Vaccination is not only to protect you, or your child but it is also to help prevent the spread of viruses throughout the community. The more people who are immune because they have already had the virus, combined with those with vaccinations lessens the likelihood that viruses gain a foothold and continue to spread to the most vulnerable of our neighbors, family and friends. I am not an epidemiologist, nor a doctor of any sort; but even a cursory understanding of biology would indicate if an organism - like a virus, has no eligible host in which to live and grow; it will die out. That is a win. It is like the act of burning or salting crop fields in a war. It prevents the enemy (the virus in this case) from having the resources or a hospitable environment to keep fighting. Think about that when you are making choices for yourself and your family. Remember that, just as in war, your decisions not only affect you and yours, but the community at large.

Now onto another controversial topic; Masking. Masks are uncomfortable, they are inconvenient and make relating to others difficult. But they save lives. Before I go any further let’s clear up a myth about masking during a pandemic. MASKS WILL NOT MAKE THE PANDEMIC SHORTER IN DURATION! In fact, masks will do the opposite, they will extend the time we have to contend with COVID-19. Then why are they good? How do they prevent deaths and illness? That is two very different questions. Say for example, you know that you have the virus; would you purposely spread it to other people - especially your elderly or immunocompromised relatives? What if it was a virus that does not always have detectable symptoms. You may not know that you have it. Are you willing to risk being the delivery device that causes someone else to become ill or die? Does your inconvenience or discomfort outweigh the lives and/or physical well being of others?

So how do masks help, you ask. They limit the number of people that are suffering from symptoms at the same time. That is the key point; at the same time. That is what the phrase "flattening the curve" really means. Despite our best efforts, our health system resources are finite. There are only so many beds, ventilators, doctors, nurses, aides, and staff to care for the people that are sick. There was actually a nursing and doctor shortage in the United States before the pandemic even started. Now with even more people needing care, those resources are stretched even thinner. If we can postpone a case of COVID-19 a month or two so that a current patient can recover and be released from a hospital, then the capacity is replenished and will be there to treat the next person that is in need. So that is why masks will prolong the pandemic, but also why they are an essential management tool in handling the volume of cases within our limited resources.

Would the pandemic be over sooner if we did something like so many families did in my youth for Chicken Pox? The answer is yes. But the consequences would be so much worse than the simple rashes and sores most kids suffered from those parties back then. More people would become infected, the most vulnerable would need dramatic hospital care in a system that would soon become over taxed and need to be rationed. Not everyone would get the care they need.

How would you feel if you were the person that had to tell someone that you didn’t have a bed for them, or a ventilator or a doctor or nurse to comfort or treat them when they need it? How would you feel if your rationing of care resulted in their death?

That is the choice you make when you decide whether or not to mask up, keep your distance or get vaccinated. You have heard it elsewhere; it isn’t about you- but it just may be about whether you can live with yourself should these things come to pass.