COVID 19 Second Wave simplified

Let's keep this simple. We are 6 months into a global pandemic. Because of good, collaborative and effective leadership across the country and the united response of Canadians, we tackled the first wave of COVID 19 very effectively.

We smashed it.

We kept the level of new daily COVID cases at low levels throughout the summer surpassing the expectations of the best case scenario presented to us at the beginning of April. Again, we smashed it. Working together we saved thousands of lives, protected the integrity and capacity of our health care system and slowly re-opened our economies at a very reasonable pace.

We suffered but we succeeded.

Now, the number of new daily cases is on the rise. This time we are prepared and we know what works to deprive this virus of the human hosts it needs to replicate and spread. This time, most of the new cases are in people under the age of 40. These folks handle the virus fairly well. They generally do not get sick enough to require hospitalization and they rarely die. As a result, even though the rate of new cases is on a steep climb, the rate of hospitalizations and death are not increasing dramatically. This will change in short order unless we coordinate our stellar efforts again.

There are three potential outcomes. The first is a continued very steep curve that is climbing faster than it did in March. The second is a not so steep curve and the third.....IS A FLAT CURVE.

We already know how to flatten the curve and there is no doubt in my mind that we can do it again. To flatten the curve of this second wave will require three weeks of diligent work. For three weeks we need to be obsessive about wearing a mask. We need to keep six feet between you and each person who is not in your social bubble and we need to get back to washing our hands. For the next three weeks, minimize all social gatherings. We are back in the trenches but the trenches are safe if we follow the guidelines.

All of my social plans for the next three weekends are cancelled. Please think about cancelling yours too. Even those gatherings that are permitted, avoid them unless they are absolutely necessary. Hibernate for three weeks and we get this thing back to a slow burn.

Thanksgiving celebrations are off the table so that, potentially, Christmas celebrations are on the table... so to speak. Grab a book, go for walks, sit on the porch, ride a bike, Zoom like mad, sit in the park but do not gather. Small gatherings and bubble breaches caused this second wave. Wipe out the gatherings, reduce the size of your bubbles, stay six feet apart, wear a mask and voila, we will be back in the game in short order.

End of pep talk.

Saw a lovely hashtag on a poster today.

#doitliketerrywould

That's what we need. A Terry Fox attitude. Hard work, selflessness, perseverance and determination for the good of all.

Anne-Marie

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