"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." —Helen Keller
Dear Friends,
Hope everyone is staying well and safe. As an update, I do not expect the office to be open until at least sometime in May. I can and have been seeing emergencies at the office. If you have an emergency situation or question call the office at 610-971-2590 and it will ring through to my cell phone where we can discuss your specific issue.
I can not turn the APPOINTMENT REMINDER system off without losing all the appointments that are scheduled. So, in the meantime just confirm your appointments so that you will not be constantly reminded about your upcoming appointment. We will reschedule everyone once we are able to get back into the office.
In terms of other updates: Mitigation is working and the slop of the curve is going down which in turn is relaxing the pressure on our hospital systems and the necessary medical supplies such as personal protection equipment and ventilators. But we must remain diligent, cautious and careful. We must continue to practice social distancing and washing of hands.
As Dr. Fauci has stated: “models are as good as the assumption’s you put into them. It is the data that changes the models…. Data is real and models are hypothesis.” We are all part of the data. If we are conscientious, we can lower the numbers as we have seen with the death rate being as high as 2 million people at one point to now being lower than 60,000.
Facts versus Hype:
1. If you are a smoker and you catch the corona virus you are three times as likely to end up in the ICU. Another reason to stop smoking.
2. We are fortunate that this is a “CORONA VIRUS” because there has been much work down on past corona viruses which has made it much easier to identify the gene sequence and thereby aid us in the development of 10 drugs that are in active trial and at least four vaccines that are in the developmental stage. Treatments are being fast tracked because of work done with previous corona viruses.
3. Antibody Testing may be available by May to test people who have recovered from the COVID-19 virus to see if they have developed antibodies and whether they can then be re infected. This will help in making some intelligent decisions about reopening the country.
4. Currently 38,000 health care workers are being Antibody tested in Detroit, MI to answer this question as well as how long can you remain disease free.
5. Another test is a saliva test (Reutgers University) to see if you are positive for the disease as well as the 5-minute nasal swab test. But testing is based on accuracy so developing reliable testing will take time.
6. Be careful when listening to the news and the talking heads and be careful when they use words like “could,” “possibly,” “potential,” and other words that may be leading. Many of the questions asked of the Corona Virus Task Force can not be answered as asked. To do so would be misleading to the public and yet they continue to do so.
7. The COVID-19 virus is highly contagious, easily transmissible and the whether you get it or not is based on the viral load you are exposed to which is why wearing a mask whenever you are out is a good idea.
8. We know how long the COVID -19 virus lives on a surface but we do not know how long it lives on clothes. It is a good idea when out or visiting people to come home and put these clothes in the washer, washing to the manufactures instructions and then placing them into a dryer. Also wash your hands after placing the clothes in the washer. If caring for someone who has the virus wear gloves and a mask and keep the clothes in a separate bag and wash and dry separately as well as washing your hands when done.
9. What we do know for sure: We don’t know when this pandemic will end. We do not have a definitive cure and if we develop Antibodies will we get re-infected.
10. Take home message. Stay the course. Practice social distancing, wear masks, gloves and wash you hands thoroughly and often.
Hope everyone stays safe and healthy and we hope to see you all again soon.
James a. Vito, D.M.D.