I have the best neighbors.

I typically write to help reverse global warming.

I do this because I believe informing and inspiring people to act is the best way I can help to save and improve lives.

But I’m going to step out of my lane slightly for a second because we’re facing a global pandemic and sharing the following information and resources might also help to save and improve lives.

We all know and love people who are at elevated risk.

I didn’t know the full extent of this until recently. But I have family and friends with pre-existing conditions who are at much higher risk from this incredibly infectious virus than I initially realized.

We all do.

 

And, of course, it’s not just our loved ones with pre-existing conditions who are at high-risk, but also older generations (looking at you Gran, Grammy, and Grandpa).

 

We all have a role to play in keeping each other safe.

Luckily…

It’s never been easier to be a hero.

Seriously.

Just stay home as much as possible until we get through this pandemic.

Watch Netflix. Read some books. Crush podcasts. Start a garden. Do work. Meditate. Clean. Call your family – catch up with old friends. Sleep. Do nothing. Thank the amazing people in healthcare working to save lives. Sit on your couch and figure out how to make your community more resilient now and in the future.

These are all heroic tasks now.

But why?

The mindset shift we all need to make.

“Don’t think about changing your behavior so you won’t get it. Think about changing your behavior so you won’t give it to someone else.” – Graham Medley

Unless you’ve been tested, you don’t know if you have Coronavirus. You can have it even if you feel 100% healthy (10% of people show no symptoms at all).

So assume you do have it, and help to stop the virus from spreading.

 

This is all about “social distancing” so that we “flatten the curve”.

 

 

Translation: Stay at home as much as possible so the virus doesn’t spread too fast. If a lot of people are infected at the same time, like in Italy, hospitals won’t be able to support everyone who needs medical attention.

If hospitals are overwhelmed, people who would normally live, had they gotten proper care, will die. This is part of the reason why the mortality rate in Italy is currently 7.3% vs. 0.9% in South Korea.

Italian healthcare workers are choosing who lives and who dies because they don’t have enough beds and ventilators to treat everyone. Not to mention the healthcare workers themselves don’t have enough masks, gloves, and other gear to protect themselves from the virus.

That’s it. That’s what this is all about. There’s no vaccination or cure coming anytime soon.

Social distancing is what we can, and must, do (…especially in countries like the US where we’re flying blind due to a lack of testing and the government’s failure to prepare for, or respond appropriately to, the pandemic).

But we can point fingers and assign blame later. What’s done is done.

What we can do now is stay home as much as possible.

Social distancing minimizes the spread of the virus. And it minimizes the strain on our hospitals – enabling our amazing nurses and doctors to save as many lives as possible.

We all know people who are at high risk.

And we all have a role to play in keeping them alive.

Best articles and resources I’ve come across:

• This is the best article I’ve seen on social distancing – includes simulations for easy understanding on the impact of different levels of social distancing. A must-read really.

• Charts comparing how outbreaks in different countries compare to each other
• “Cancel Everything”
• Coronavirus: Why you must act now. (the most comprehensive thing I’ve read.)
• “Young and unafraid of the coronavirus pandemic? Good for you. Now stop killing people.”

(Coronavirus dashboard and resource center by John Hopkins University.)

County-level info for US

World Health Organization advice for the public

Alright, that’s a wrap. Just wanted to spread this info in case people find it useful. I’ll be going back to the regular Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter after this.

Just remember…