A healthy side effect related to COVID-19

There is nothing good about COVID-19 and the havoc it has brought upon the world, but there has been one positive side effect. Perhaps you may not have noticed it but I have and it's pretty amazing. The social distancing, washing of hands, wearing masks, disinfecting, and sanitizing have led to fewer people complaining of colds, flu, and pneumonia. I base this on my Facebook newsfeed as well as what I see around me. For decades I have observed that between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day a lot of people say they are sick. This year, thus far that has not been the case.

When I would be shopping in stores or walking through parking lots, I encountered individuals on a regular basis who were coughing, sneezing, blowing their noses and trying to get mucus out of their throats. This year I am taking note that no one on my newsfeed,(at least not that I have read) is asking for prayer because they are in the hospital with pneumonia or the flu. I have not read one post where anyone even suspects they have influenza or said they had a bad cold. I am sure that somewhere, there are people dealing with all of that but it is not being reported on a large scale as usual.

I have also read a few news articles that validate that there are fewer cases of the flu being reported this season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that an estimated 45 million people report being ill from the flu annually and that up to 810,000 of them are hospitalized. There are also close to 61,000 deaths reported from the flu each year. This flu season, however, there have only been 925 cases of influenza around the United States thus far. I have observed that many businesses give out free masks to those who don't have one and some have hand sanitizer for customers to use. I make use of it everywhere that it is available.

I have not encountered people wheezing, sneezing, or complaining of itchy watery eyes as usual which suggests there may also be an effect on alergies. I have not noticed empty shelves in stores on the aisles that have cold and allergy medications as in years past and all of this cannot be a coincidence. My daughter usually has pretty bad asthma attacks during the winter months and ends up in the ER. Thankfully this season she has not had one. I believe with most people being more careful and sanitizing more often that we have reduced germs.

As a whole, we should have been doing this all along. I remember working in an office during the 1970s and we were spraying our telephones with Lysol and cleaning them with alcohol to keep down the spread of germs. I have always been one to wash my hands, use hand sanitizer and crack windows in my home. I have remained healthy when everyone around me was sick so I already knew the benefit of good hygiene and also fresh air. It has been reported that COVID thrives in closed-in spaces so fresh air is always in order.

This is wonderful news but we should not let our guards down. Once the coronavirus is decreasing or even eradicated we must continue our practices of social distancing, washing our hands often, using sanitizer, disinfecting, and wearing face coverings. We would all do well to keep in mind the old adage that those who forget the past are condemned to relive it. Perhaps we should even begin a new mantra. "Taking precautions each day keeps germs at bay." This is one situation where you cannot, ( and should not) argue with results. Preventative care is working and will continue to do so as long everyone does their part. Just think, in the midst of the thorns, there is a rose.