There are many types of poverty

It's been a bit of a tough weekend. The USA is in big trouble. COVID 19 is a run-away train in that country. With the present political state, the intense fear and confusion and the mixed messages coming from all levels of government, I don't see how they will control the virus until there is a vaccine.

I am deeply troubled. It would only take a matter of weeks before the same overwhelming number of new cases and deaths could happen in Canada. It wouldn't take much for us to lose the tight control of COVID 19 we presently have.

Drop our resolve for just a second.....

One in four children in America are now facing food insecurity.
I was shocked when I heard this tonight. In Lesotho, we support food insecure kids. They rely on us to provide them with a home, a parent and nutritious food. Kids can't learn if they don't eat. How can this be happening to our neighbours? I just can't get my head around it.

Bodies are being stored in refrigerated trucks and intensive care units are at capacity. What does it mean when an ICU is at capacity? It means that if your 54 year old husband or brother or father has a heart attack and they show up at a hospital with no ICU beds, they die in the emergency room. This is exactly why we needed and continue to need strict public health guidelines; this and the fact that allowing COVID 19 to race unchallenged through our population would result in health and economic chaos. You don't have to look far to see into that future.

There is a growing number of people buying into the idea that COVID 19 is not real and that it is part of a massive conspiracy being played out by the powerful and the rich to take complete control of our lives and force us to take a vaccine that will make the rich, richer. This is utter nonsense. Here is where I lose it. Take a deep breath, remain professional, calm and cool. A dead person is dead person. People die of COVID 19. I have this visceral emotional reaction to these theories. It is offensive and disrespectful to the dead and to the ill. I have seen and treated people infected with COVID 19. I have spent my adult life defending the ill, not just caring for them but defending them. The health care providers on the front lines of this pandemic are real. They are fighting a virus. The only way to beat this virus is to test, test and test some more. Quarantine the people who are positive, stay six feet apart, where a mask and follow the public health guidelines. We will be doing this until there is a vaccine. That's a lot of time to lose faith and give in. Don't. How we survive until there is a vaccine is completely up to us.

People are descending into poverty in America, at a rapid rate. But there is another kind of poverty that drives the chaos this virus can unleash; it is a poverty of trust, and goodness, decency and selflessness.

I wanted to dive into COVID Q and A part 3 tonight but I need to get the weight of the world off my shoulders first. I am hoping to sleep it off tonight.

I am a woman of prayer. Maybe the lack of faith in our society is the greatest poverty of all. My prayers go out to you America. I am praying for a miracle that supersedes science today so that you are a whole and intact country when science brings us it's miracle: A vaccine.

Anne-Marie

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COVID Q and A Post #2

Might be best to review COVID Q and A Part 1 first. Click on this link: https://bit.ly/2WuxdYx.

It's getting a little rough out there. Very important to stay focused on the facts and tune out the news that provokes anxiety and confusion. We are still in the midst of a pandemic. It is still the same virus. How the virus behaves and spreads has not changed. It still causes the same illness and we are still smashing it! Eighty percent have mild to moderate symptoms with a complete recovery. Twenty percent have a more serious illness. In Canada, at the present time, less than 2 % are dying of COVID 19. The fear and confusion waxes and wanes and is beginning to cause more illness than the virus itself. Stay focused. Follow the guidelines and you will be fine. Regardless of how overwhelming this is, life goes on. The good stuff still happens and the problem with being overwhelmed and fearful is that we stop seeing the good stuff. I am guilty of this. It's like there is this subconscious tape that is always running in my head that blasts into my consciousness way too often: "There is a pandemic out there. It is changing everything. It's a threat. The future is uncertain. Will my family be OK? Will my friends be OK? I hate missing all the things I am missing. Will this end?"

It goes on and on. I want to smash that tape. Replaying it in my head does nothing to stem the effects of the virus but is does everything to spoil the day and rob me of joy. So, learning to live in the moment is key.

Babies bring us into the moment. I saw this little one this week with her proud new mom. I expect these babes to cry when they see my mask but, they don't. They focus on my eyes and my eyes are full of joy when I see them. Joy is not a threat. It never is. Joy makes more joy. And there it is. Life continuing on, joyful moments still all around, fear suppressed or maybe erased. At least for a moment.

IF you are struggling emotionally, please reach out. Help is there. See the links at the end of this post.

COVID Q and A #6

Wait. I have to repeat #5 here because the answer has changed.

5/ What do you think the likelihood of a vaccine or treatment or treatment is anytime soon?

It is no longer my best prediction that there will be a safe and effective vaccine. The scientific community is much further along in vaccine production. A vaccine is not yet a sure thing but it is very promising that by 2021 we will have one or more. There are now 155 vaccine trials in various stages of development around the world. Twenty three have progressed to using the vaccine on humans.

And new research shows that the virus in not mutating. THE VIRUS IN NOT MUTATING. Makes an HIV specialist and a virus geek, very excited. In 25 years of research, we are yet to find an effective vaccine for HIV. Effective treatment for those infected, yes, vaccine, no. Why? Because the HIV virus mutates so much. This means that the virus in one person has a slightly different shape than the virus in another and the virus in one person can change it's shape or surface characteristics so that the virus they have today is different from the one they may have in 2 months. Impossible to create a vaccine to hit a target that is constantly moving. Looks like that is not so with COVID 19. Virus today is likely the same as the one we'll have in 2021. Vaccine that is made today, effective for the virus when the same vaccine is proven to be safe and effective one year from now.

Take home message: Hold on folks. This will end.

6/ Can I visit my friends at a social distance and if I do can I use their bathroom or go inside the house.

Phase 3 guidelines as of today, 100 can gather, physically distanced outside and 50 can gather physically distanced inside. You can visit your friend but outside is safer. Keep the distance and yes, you can use their bathroom but wear a mask and wash your hands before and after you enter and your host may want to sanitize the surfaces between each occupant. I have outdoor company coming tomorrow. They are bringing their own chairs and beverages and the bathroom is ready for them, with some minor changes in behaviour required.

Remember, there is more and more evidence that the virus could take to the air and travel farther than six feet but this likely occurs indoors where lots of people are gathered without masks and without physical distancing.

Man. I talk too much. We will need COVID Q and A post #3.

Have a blessed weekend. Remember, you may not be feeling any joy at all but joy is out there, none the less.

Anne-Marie

Please share

For equal access to treatment in Lesotho!
https://www.braceletofhope.ca/ways-to-give/

Lets keep our local charities strong by donating here:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/47254

For non-Facebook users, you can find this post here:
https://braceletofhope.blogspot.com/

Check out a great place for mental health support here:
https://familyserviceguelph.on.ca/

For local assistance with anxiety and depression:
www.here4help.ca
CMHA WW Website: www.cmhaww.ca
Here 24/7 at 1-844-HERE-247 or www.here247.ca.
And for post-secondary students, Good2Talk
https://good2talk.ca/

A special mask

Almost 30 years ago, I had my first baby. Funny describing him as a baby now. I had started my medical practise a few months before and I was delivering babies. It was a marvellous time of life. In August of 1990, my medical partner at the time, Dr. Chris Rathwell ( loved that man), took the month of August off and headed up to his cottage leaving me in charge of his large practise and his caseload of deliveries. Seven months pregnant, thankfully young enough to tolerate days without sleep, I delivered 18 babies that month. They are all turning 30 this year. Unbelievable. I became very close to all the labour and delivery nurses. I loved that team. The L and D nurse who helped me through my own labour and delivery, Shirley Reed, was an angel that day and night and part of another day. I couldn't have survived it without her. I have had the privilege of having Shirley in my practise all this time. I love her dearly. She made me this very special mask for me. Words of hope: Faith, Joy, Peace, Rejoice. Words to live by. I will cherish this mask and wear it with pride. Thank you Shirley.

How are we doing out there? We are shifting into month five with COVID 19. None of us will ever be the same but look how well we have done. Phase 3 begins on Friday in many parts of Ontario. Many of you may be nervous about this. Some reassurance; we have been in phase two for over four weeks with a significant number of businesses re-opening. And today, Ontario recorded only 102 cases. Despite a loosening of restrictions, the number of cases in this province continues to fall. I think that is pretty amazing. Why are we doing so well? Masks and physical distancing. In the last four weeks more and more people have been wearing masks in public spaces and in the last two weeks, the majority of municipalities in the province made masks mandatory.

Masks and physical distancing work exceptionally well at reducing the community transmission of COVID 19. Neither works without a population who follows these public health guidelines. Thank you for being a smart, thoughtful, wise and trusting group of people.

We now have definitive evidence that shows that masks work.
79% of Canadians support mandatory masks country wide.

Cases are starting to rise in other provinces. Alberta, BC, Manitoba and Quebec have all seen slight upticks in cases, all of them related to gatherings where physical distancing and mask wearing did not occur. Montreal is dealign with an outbreak with 30 new cases of COVID 19 since July one all in folks who frequented 9 bars in the city.

COVID 19 is no longer completely mysterious to us. We understand so much more about this virus. We are watching what happens when leaders are unable to encourage adherence to these guidelines. Florid, Texas and California now have 1 M cases combined. Florida has 300,000 cases and 10,000 people hospitalized. Hundreds are dying every week. I will be blunt. This is the direct result of the leaders in that state refusing to enforce public health measures. We don't need anymore proof of what we need to continue doing.

I had a rush of pride today which brought me to tears, briefly. I was driving home and glanced at the car sitting next to me at a traffic light. The driver had their mask dangling from one ear. I saw this same thing on the news an hour later. People who are no longer in a public space are keeping their masks handy and ready to wear. Love it.

Can we continue on this course? Can we keep this up until a vaccine arrives? You bet we can. I have not doubt. Wear a mask everywhere in public. Keep your distance from people who are not in your bubble, both indoors and outdoors where possible. Get comfortable with this. It is difficult. So, as we get comfortable and as this becomes routine, through in some kindness, some faith, joy and peace. Rejoice in the face of adversity. We have so much to be grateful for.

Next stop, some very encouraging news about vaccines and COVID Q and A part 2, unless something major happens in the next 24 hours which is pretty common now adays.

Thank you my friends. Be strong and well.

Anne-Marie

Please share.

For equal access to treatment in Lesotho!
https://www.braceletofhope.ca/ways-to-give/

Lets keep our local charities strong by donating here:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/47254

For non-Facebook users, you can find this post here:
https://braceletofhope.blogspot.com/

For local assistance with anxiety and depression:
www.here4help.ca
CMHA WW Website: www.cmhaww.ca
Here 24/7 at 1-844-HERE-247 or www.here247.ca.
And for post-secondary students, Good2Talk
https://good2talk.ca/

Are you ready for Phase 3?

We are ready. Click on this link. Go to ' Are we flattening the Curve'. Click again and look at the chart titled, 'Total Cases in Canada' and you will see why we are ready.

https://bit.ly/3fCMRZa

Canada's curve has been flat for weeks.

Ontario reported only 116 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 today.

Twenty nine of Ontario's 34 public health units reported five or fewer additional cases , while 21 of those 29 confirmed no new cases at all. .

We have seen a steady decline in the number of new cases in the province with record low COVID 19 hospitalizations

Of the 36,839 infections in Ontario since the outbreak, 87 % are considered resolved.

It is time. I had the busiest day of my professional life today. On July fourth, I marked 30 years of practising medicine in Guelph and today was by far the most overwhelming: twenty-five patients with appointments, 140 downloads of test results and consultant notes, 40 patients triaged with no room to see more. I ended my day at 7 pm and for the first time ever, I thought I might have to race out the back door. COVID 19 has added so many layers of suffering to our communities. Patients are in severe pain because their joint replacement surgeries have been cancelled or postponed. Specialist appointments have been delayed. The incidence of depression and anxiety has mushroomed. Two of my patients were suicidal. Two in one day. People have lost their jobs and are struggling financially. Our children are not being educated and parents have been overwhelmed with the task of home-schooling their children while working from home. Marriages are in crises and the elderly that are living alone are deteriorating day by day. At this point in time, the negative consequences of lock down far outweigh the suffering directly caused by the virus.

I spoke to another health care professional today and we both agreed that our success at managing this pandemic as a nation has been miraculous. What we were able to accomplish by following the public health guidelines and trusting in our leaders is quite astonishing. People will write many books, articles and theses about COVID 19. Looking back, we will understand our remarkable our response was.

The United Nations Secretary General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said today that countries that are struggling have leadership deficits that undermine the most critical ingredient needed for a response to a pandemic: trust. If the basics are not followed, there is only one way this pandemic will go". It is going to get worse and worse and worse".

We dodged that bullet.

It is time to head back to as close to normal as we can.

So, here it is in a nutshell:

Indoor gathering limits increased to 50.
Outdoor gathering limits increase to 100.
Restaurants, bars, nightclubs, gyms, recreational facilities, play grounds, personal care services, libraries, live shows, performing arts, movie theatres.... the list goes on. All opening up.

For the complete stage three guidelines, look here:
http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6987741/Stage-3-En.pdf

And here is how to do this responsibly and safely: Maintain six feet of distance wherever possible. Wear a mask in all of these places, all the time. Sanitize your hands frequently. These guidelines have not changed. We are now expanding them into more areas. Do not let your guard down. Continue to limit your errands and the number of trips that take you away from home. The only place where you do not need to wear a mask or maintain physical distancing is within your social bubble of 10. That number has not changed.

Remember, this virus loves it when humans gather is tight quarters, indoors without masks. Avoid this at all costs.

Continue to trust our leaders and follow these rules and guess what? We will be just fine and we will get used to this.

Confidence, fearlessness, perseverance and strength; we've exhibited these qualities for months and it has paid off. We just need to keep going.

Well done.

Back to the battle tomorrow.

Anne-Marie

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For non-Facebook users, you can find this post here:
https://braceletofhope.blogspot.com/

COVID Q and A - POST #1

Similar questions keep coming up in the comments section of these posts. My trusted university student colleague has taken the time to pull the most common questions out and here they are.

1/ How can I get tested? Do I need an appointment? Is the testing available to everyone?

Most municipalities have testing sites. Log on to your regional public health unit website to find out where the testing site is. If you do not have internet, call your local hospital for details. In some regions, you need an appointment, in others you can just walk in. The test is available to everyone.

2/ What kind of test is it?

The COVID 19 test is a nasopharyngeal swab. The prescriber who takes the test is fully dressed in protective equipment. You are given a surgical mask when you enter the building. All public health guidelines for the prevention of COVID 19 are strictly adhered to at every clinic. You won't get COVID 19 at these sites. A swab is inserted into one of your nostrils deep into the back, twirled and done. It stings but it is quick.

This week, a rapid test was approved for use, made by a Guelph company by the way, which will give results within an hour. This will be used in remote areas where testing sites are not readily available.

3/ Where do I get my results and how long does it take to get results?

It takes about 3 or 4 days to get a test result back. Public health will call you if it is positive. You won't receive a call if it is negative. If you bring your OHIP number to the testing site, you can find your results on a confidential provincial website. Ask for details about this site at the testing centre. Your family doctor will get your results as well but not as quickly as you can online.

4/ What do you think a second wave will look like and is the health care community prepared for a second wave?

In Canada, your health care system is prepared for a second wave, if one happens. It all depends on our response to public health guidelines. We have done such a great job at controlling this virus so far, that no hospital ICU's were overwhelmed beyond capacity. The hospitals have been re-structured to quickly make room should a second wave occur. Testing sites are testing up to 20,000 people a day in the province with a goal to test 50,000 a day. Testing and contact tracing will allow for small outbreaks to be quickly identified. People who have been exposed to a person who tests positive will be tested and quarantined until their test result is back. It is this efficient testing and tracing system that could prevent a second wave. If we keep adhering to our public health guidelines, what we will see is a low level of infection with quickly contained outbreaks, all that can be easily handled by our health care system. An intact system allows for the early hospitalization of people with COVID 19 who have severe symptoms. These folks are much more likely to recover when they receive assistance early reducing the death rate dramatically.

In Guelph, as of July 10, there is only one person in hospital with COVID 19, one newly confirmed and 10 active cases, 217 cases in total since the beginning of the pandemic and 197 of those have resolved. We have had 11 deaths and that number has held steady now for weeks. This low level of infection, high level of recovery and low mortality rate is what I believe we will see until there is a vaccine or an effective medication that prevents COVID 19 from progressing to a lethal stage.

WE CAN AVOID A SECOND WAVE. PHYSICAL DISTANCING AND MASKE WEARING BY EVERYONE WHO CAN WEAR ONE IS KEY TO THIS.

5/ What do you think the likelihood of a vaccine or treatment or treatment is anytime soon?

I will take a stab at this but this is only my best prediction based on the science and how far the global scientific community has already come. I think we will have an effective vaccine by the new year. It has to be mass produced for 8 billion people; a massive technical and strategic feat but we'll get it done.

Medications for the virus ( anti-virals) are already being used in severely ill patients with some success. The world has made remarkable advancements in this area of medicine. We have found a treatment that eradicates hepatitis C and treatments that make HIV a chronic, manageable disease (both of these are deadly viruses). What we have learned in this area is now being used to find an anti-viral that could make COVID 19 no more lethal than a common cold.

Lots of hope here but, good science takes time. We will be living with this virus for quite a long time. Opening up the economy and schools while we wait, is vital to the health and well being of the population. Staying indoors and isolated will do much more harm than COVID 19 can do.

This is where courage and resolve is required. We can live with this virus but we need to be so focused on caring for ourselves and one another while listening to our leaders and adhering to public health guidelines. Turn away from fear and uncertainty. I have put my life and the life of my family and friends into the hands of good leadership and science and I have absolutely no doubt that this direction will get us through. Stay focused. Find endurance and tenacity and do not give into complacency, fear or distrust. Rise above the nastiness that is out there. We've got your back, regardless of what the nay sayers say.

Well, that was not so bad. Five questions answered, only five more to go. I will try to cover re-opening and the risks, returning to school, visiting friends indoors safely as fall approaches and more on masks for those in areas where they have just become mandatory.

Much appreciated if you can donate. The strength in our communities becomes like titanium when we care for those in need. There will be more and more folks in need as the consequences of the economic shut down plays out this fall and winter. If you have a lot, share it.

Anne-Marie

Please share.

For equal access to treatment in Lesotho!
https://www.braceletofhope.ca/ways-to-give/

Lets keep our local charities strong by donating here:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/47254

For non-Facebook users, you can find this post here:
https://braceletofhope.blogspot.com/

For local assistance with anxiety and depression:
www.here4help.ca
CMHA WW Website: www.cmhaww.ca
Here 24/7 at 1-844-HERE-247 or www.here247.ca.
And for post-secondary students, Good2Talk
https://good2talk.ca/

Mandatory masks in new municipalities and an economy that is bouncing back.

We are so on the right track. As new municipalities have joined the mandatory mask army, welcome by the way, more and more questions and some hostilities are bubbling up. Many folks in areas with low or no numbers of COVID 19 are confused. Why wear a mask if there is no COVID 19?

A short review: This virus is spread by respiratory droplets that are coughed, shouted, sung or spoken out of your mouth. The droplets fall within six feet. Masks are worn to to prevent you from spreading the virus to others. Cloth masks do not prevent you from getting the virus.

High level surgical masks and N95 masks which typically can only be purchased through medical supply chains, can reduce the risk of getting the virus. They are used in the health care setting by medical workers who must get close to ill patients an, ideally, they are changed after each patient interaction. These masks do not need to be used in public. If we are physically distancing, it is highly unlikely that you will be exposed to the virus. The cloth masks helps to reduce the risk of an infected person passing the virus on to someone else.

So, here's the drill. You live in a small town south of Wiarton where there are no cases of COVID 19. Masks are now mandatory but you are not happy about it. A person driving up to Tobermory, stops at your local grocery store. He does not feel sick yet, but he does have COVID 19. He enters your store with a mask on. You are picking up a carton of milk when this fellow comes around the corner. He coughs, ever so slightly. He doesn't even notice the cough. Congratulations, mask wearer! You just kept that virus to yourself and congratulations milk buyer, you avoided COVID 19.

Second scenario: That same fellow did not wear a mask because masks are not mandatory. Physical distancing did not occur and you were just exposed to COVID 19. You feel sick several days later and within a week you test positive for COVID 19. During that week, you came into contact with many people. You were not wearing a mask. You passed the virus on to 10 people. They are not wearing masks. They each pass the virus on to 3 people. Before you know it, your little town that has not yet seen a case of COVID 19 now has hundreds of cases. It is declared an outbreak and all of Grey-Bruce County is forced into lock down again. Only now, it is July and tourists are important for the economy, very important. The ripple effects are far-reaching.

This is not an attempt by your government to take control of your rights. Mandatory masks are part of a well thought out plan that protects your right to good health and the rights of others not to be infected by you!. The plan does not even come from governments; it comes from health experts. We have no desire to take over your life, believe me. If a mask makes you fearful, if it causes deep anxiety, if it makes an underlying lung issue more symptomatic, don't wear one but you many need to send someone else on that milk run for your health!

When COVID 19 is under good control, and believe me, it is under good control in Canada, people who get the virus have easy access to a publicly funded health care system that is wide open to receive ill people and the risk of dying goes down. Our death rate is way down.

When COVID 19 is not under good control, the death rate is 8-15%. There is no room in hospital ICU's or COVID units when the system is overwhelmed so more people die.

Our low infection rate and death rate is the outcome of a coordinated national response that followed the science.
None of this points to a conspiracy aimed at making people wear masks so that our governments can rob you of your rights. Makes no sense at all. If governments did not have our best interest at heart we would have hundreds and thousands of cases and deaths....very much like our suffering neighbours to the south. No conspiracy here, just sound science and good leadership.

COVID 19 is a significant health threat. Science will lead us out of this pandemic and the science about wearing masks continues to evolve and it continues to tell us that masks work. Believe that, not the conspiracy theorists. When you wear a mask according to public health guidelines, you are part of the army we need to fight this thing. You are playing a significant role in reducing transmission. When I throw my mask on and walk into a grocery store, I am proud. I am showing my love for others and my respect and love for my country as it faces one of it's greatest challenges. I am part of the team.

Is the virus airborne?

This means, can the virus be picked up by air currents and transmitted to people 20 feet away? To a degree, maybe but the environmental circumstances need to be right. Many people, crammed together, indoors, no masks, talking loudly for at least an hour, in a room with poor ventilation. In this situation, the virus that is initially carried in a respiratory droplet, can be released from that droplet as the mucous dries up and sets the virus adrift on an air current. The answer; don't let the above set of circumstances happen until the coast is clear and the virus is gone.

THE GREAT NEWS:

Over the last week, Ontario’s 34 health units have reported an average of 137 new infections per day, well down from peak of nearly 600 in late April.

Canada's economy added almost a million jobs last month, as businesses reopened after COVID-19 shutdowns....and no second surge has happened.

More and more of our ICU beds are empty. Well done Ontario and Canada.

Follow the mandatory mask guidelines, don't expand your bubbles, stay six feet apart. Keep this up and we will not see a second surge. We will see small, containable outbreaks with a very low death rate.

Anne-Marie

And no, I don't wear a mask when I cycle.
And, the first step to better health and a better immune system is to quite smoking. Forgot that on my last post. Help is out there for smokers.

Please share.

Anne-Marie

For equal access to treatment in Lesotho!
https://www.braceletofhope.ca/ways-to-give/

Lets keep our local charities strong by donating here:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/47254

For non-Facebook users, you can find this post here:
https://braceletofhope.blogspot.com/

For local assistance with anxiety and depression:
www.here4help.ca
CMHA WW Website: www.cmhaww.ca
Here 24/7 at 1-844-HERE-247 or www.here247.ca.
And for post-secondary students, Good2Talk
https://good2talk.ca/

Your bodies first line of defence agains infection.....is YOU!

Thank you Waterloo Region. You just made masks mandatory.
Waterloo council voted unanimously last night.

The two bylaws are set to take effect July 13.

Groups that are exempt: young children, people with disabilities and medical conditions which make wearing masks difficult.

Businesses are required to post signage about the bylaws but will not be required to enforce them.

Some of the indoor spaces that will require masks include:

Stores.
Shopping malls.
Laundromats.
Hotels.
Motels.
Municipal buildings.
Places of worship.

The bylaws do not cover the following public spaces:

Federal or provincial buildings.
Colleges, universities or schools.
Hospitals or health facilities.
Employee-only areas of businesses and other buildings.

It took 3 and 1/2 hours of debate. It is a controversial issue. Waterloo region now joins Toronto, Kingston, Windsor and Guelph-Wellington Dufferin. The pressure is on across the country for other municipalities to do the same and when we do, I believe, we will be able to live safely with this virus for as long as it takes to rid it from the planet or make it a manageable, non- life threatening illness for which there will be a vaccine.

COVID 19 will be with us for quite awhile. We are adapting, becoming more resilient and strong in the face of great difficulties and working well, together, as a country to keep COVID 19 under control I have taken a few days off from all things COVID. It was a refreshing break. I would highly recommend it. No news, no screens, no talk....just your own thoughts in a place where you can find peace. It is good for the soul.

As I was writing a post last week I looked down at my wrist and saw a tan line. Do you remember the days when people wore watches? A person would take their watch off before jumping into a lake and there it was, a tan line where the watch was. I don't wear a watch but, I now wear a fitbit and have a fitbit tan line. I avoid the sun and wear a lot of sunscreen which means, for me to have the slightest fitbit tan line means that I have that baby on all the time. My son bought won for me for Christmas and I was instantly addicted.

My time exercising has doubled and I have added an hour of sleep to my sleep schedule everyday. The fitbit monitors my sleep. I had no idea how little sleep I was getting. I exercise 30 min to 1 hour a day, six times a week. On weekends, I am on my bike for at least a couple of hours. I sleep 7 hours a night. I take 5,000 IU of day each day and I work very hard at controlling anxious thoughts.

We will need a vaccine for COVID 19 but each of us needs a healthy immune system that can fight this thing off well if we are exposed or infected. Not everyone can exercise everyday but even a 10 min walk, everyday, has huge impacts on the immune system and the ability to ward off chronic diseases. Not everyone can make their immune systems healthy, they are fighting diseases that make their immunes systems deficient or they may be taking life-saving medications that cause their immune systems to be deficient. They need to be protected.

Sleep has strong regulatory effects on immunological functions. While you sleep, hormones circulate that keep your immune system ready to fight infection, depression and all diseases.

Vitamin D is directly required in some of our immune responses. In the last decade, science has proven the many beneficial effects of Vitamin D. Take it. Ask your doctor or naturopath how much they recommend. The guidelines differ. The research I have done suggests that 5,000 IU's of Vitamin D a day hits the sweet spot.

Diet is key. Without a healthy diet, you are immune deficient, period. We get more out of a plant based diet than a meat based or carbohydrate based diet. It is all about balancing these foods in favour of more fruits and vegetables. Your body has a healthy balance of bacteria in the skin, the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract and the genitourinary system. We actually need these bacteria to help fight disease. A healthy diet keeps them in balance. Did you know that balancing our guts bacteria can reduce the severity and risk of depression? It's all about the immune system baby!

So much of our immune system is regulated by the brain which has it's own separate line of defence against infection. Anxiety and negative thoughts change the way your brain functions in a negative way. Work at the impossible dream of being anxiety free at least most of the time. This is a very tall order when we are living through a global health crisis but work at it. It helps every aspect of your health.

I am behind a bit but here are some fabulous numbers from July 5/20:

New cases in Canada- 217
Ontario- 138
And no ICU admission in Toronto- crushing it!

The national immunity task force started testing thousands of blood samples for COVID-19 antibodies awhile back and should be able to produce a more detailed picture of how many Canadians have been infected with the novel coronavirus within a couple of weeks. The more we know, the stronger we are.

The basics of how our immune system works so that you can understand the value of a vaccine.....coming up.

Enjoy the day and go for a safe walk!

Anne-Marie

Please Share.

And Yes, I will speak to the possibility of airborne transmission of COVID 19.

For equal access to treatment in Lesotho!
https://www.braceletofhope.ca/ways-to-give/

Lets keep our local charities strong by donating here:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/47254

For non-Facebook users, you can find this post here:
https://braceletofhope.blogspot.com/

For local assistance with anxiety and depression:
www.here4help.ca
CMHA WW Website: www.cmhaww.ca
Here 24/7 at 1-844-HERE-247 or www.here247.ca.
And for post-secondary students, Good2Talk
https://good2talk.ca/