Coronavirus

Just a few weeks ago life was relatively normal here in the United States. The stores were always stocked with food and supplies and generally when you went shopping they weren't out of almost everything. Not anymore. Now you more than likely will have to make trips to several stores before getting everything you need and even then you probably still won't find everything that you need.

Panic. Everywhere. Most people seem to not know of anyone personally who does have COVID19, which makes for even more panic because people don't know if they should be worried. It's the unknown that everyone is afraid of more than anything. Those in power we trusted for years have lied to us for decades, we as a society really aren't sure who to believe at this point. It's either worse than what they've told us, or it's been blown way out of proportion.

We first got news of COVID19 back in January. Rather quickly, and quite unprecedentedly, we're seeing shut downs of whole cities, countries even. Flights are restricted. Borders shut down. This is honestly something I never thought I'd see in my lifetime. It feels eerily similar to movies I've watched years ago, not only that... like the beginning of Nazi Germany except this time, on a global scale. Here in the United States, we had plenty of time to shut down cross country flights. Nothing shut down til just last week. Businesses across the USA are shutting down and many are left without an income. People can't get approved for unemployment or food stamps because they're not "fired" but have zero hours because of shutdowns. I'm more worried about how this is going to affect almost everyone who works for a living. What's going to happen when the food runs out? What's going to happen when people start getting kicked out of their home for not paying their mortgage or rent? These are the things that are more concerning.

They say COVID19 is comparable to getting the seasonal flu. The symptoms are the same. The only thing that's different with COVID19 is the fact that this is a new strain of coronavirus. Coronaviruses have been around forever. The common cold is a coronavirus itself. COVID19 is less deadly than SARS. As with any kind of respiratory illness, your risk of complications do go up if you are older or have a compromised immune system. Pregnant women, those with diabetes, cancer, lupus, asthma, the list goes on. I think a lot of us do know people who fall into that category and that's what's concerning coupled with the "unknown" of not knowing anyone who has contracted COVID19, people are rightfully concerned and on edge. The important thing to remember is that this disease for most people, 80% will have MILD symptoms. That's a huge chunk. Italy has had the highest number of deaths associated with COVID19 outside of China. This is partly because Italy has an aging population. Most of their population is age 65 or older. This is not to say that their lives don't matter, they absolutely do. Their risks are the same with the flu, unfortunately the older you are , the more vulnerable you are to dying from respiratory diseases in general

COVID19 is not a death sentence . Keep a clean home, keep yourself clean and take care of your health nutritional- wise. Take your vitamins. Eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables . Drink your water, people. You more than likely will be fine. As hard as it is, don't stress. Being stressed out lowers your immune system making it easier for you to get sick . Be aware, be vigilant but do not live in fear.