Atlantic Ave Magazine - April 2020 Issue

complications from the virus can include pneumonia in both lungs,
organ failure in several organs, or death. Older adults, or anyone
who already has a severe underlying medical condition (diabetes,
heart disease, lung disease, etc.) are at greater risk.
What is Social Distancing?
Social distancing is the effort to deliberately increase the physical
space between people with a goal to avoid spreading the illness.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the goal is to stay at least six
feet away from other people, which will help to lessen your chances
of catching COVID-19. While there is some confusion about what
exactly social distancing is and how often you need to practice it, a
good rule of thumb is: practice it always, until informed otherwise.
Gov. Ron DeSantis recently passed a measure for all restaurants,
bars, nightclubs, beaches, public parks, and non-essential businesses,
to close their doors, reducing the opportunity people have
to gather.
Additionally, many people are working from home instead of the
office, children are being homeschooled, classes are held online, all
large events (including weddings, festivals and parades) are canceled
or postponed, and visitation with loved ones has gone virtual.
How Do I Protect Against Getting the
Coronavirus?
As of now, there is no vaccine to prevent COVID-19, so it’s important
to do your part to help stop the spread of the virus. Standard
measures include regular hand washing (for 20 seconds with soap
and water or an alcohol-based hand rub), covering your mouth and
nose when coughing and sneezing, maintaining a distance of six
feet from those around you, and thoroughly cooking meat and eggs.
It’s also recommended to avoid close contact with anyone showing
symptoms of respiratory illness - such as coughing and sneezing -
and to quarantine yourself should you experience any symptoms
or have come into contact with anyone who has tested positive for
COVID-19. Make sure to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
What are the Current U.S. Stats?
The most current figures at the time of print show there are
15,219 total cases in the U.S. and 201 total deaths. This data includes
both confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19
reported to CDC or tested at CDC since January 21, 2020, with the
exception of testing results for persons repatriated to the United
States from Wuhan, China and Japan. Of the total cases, 337 are
travel related, 321 are from close contact, and 14,561 are under
investigation. While the outbreak originated in China, Italy has now
become the deadliest center for the COVID-19 outbreak and has
surpassed China with total number of deaths.
The most important take-away is that everyone MUST do their
part to prevent the spread of this highly contagious, potentially fatal
(for some) virus.
If you’re not feeling well, stay home. If you think you’ve come
in contact with someone is who ill or who has tested positive for
COVID-19, stay home and self-quarantine. Businesses that provide
essential roles to our daily lives, including healthcare facilities and
grocery stores, are open to provide us with basic necessities, but
we should only use these services if we must. Make as few trips to
the store or out to businesses as you can, and limit sharing your
space with others (healthy or otherwise). The sooner the spread of
the virus is managed, the sooner our country can focus on healing
and getting back to normal.
*All statements and numbers were verified and accurate at the time of press
photo by SEAN M. HAFFEY/GETTY
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