Some parts of the United States are beginning to re-emerge from quarantine from the novel coronavirus. It’s an exciting time, but one that a lot of people are rightly hesitant about. Although we all want life to resume as normal, we also don’t want there to be a resurgence of the coronavirus. We want life to go back to normal, but we want it to happen in a safe way. Right now, it looks like some parts of the U.S. can do this, but certainly not all of the country is ready for this.
Either way, there are a few things that health professionals are worried about as the country begins to reopen. Besides a new wave of COVID-19, a lot of people are worried about the lack of preventative care that occurred over the last several months.
For example, one report indicates that the evaluation rate for strokes has dropped by about 40 percent. That means 40 percent fewer people are coming into the hospital because they suspect that they have had a stroke. It’s not likely that the rate of stroke occurrences has changed at all. It’s the number of people that are getting evaluated that has gone down.
While unnecessary trips to the hospital should be avoided during the current pandemic, that does not mean that necessary trips to the hospital should be avoided, too. Stroke evaluations are rightly considered to be an emergency, especially when all of the scientific data out there suggests that treatment needs to begin within two hours of the stroke in order for the patient to have the best odds of survival and a full recovery. These appointments have been canceled by hospitals, doctors, and patients alike. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t important. They need to return to normal as quickly as possible–as safely as possible.
It is very likely that when life goes back to normal that there will be more sickness. Some of this may be cases of COVID-19, but more than anything, we are going to see colds, the flu, and other more “minor” illnesses. Anyone that has spent time working in an Elementary school can attest to this phenomenon. During the first few weeks of school every year, the new teachers get sick. It comes with being around a different population of people. We’re all likely to see this as we go back out into general society.
We need to continue to be vigilant, especially for those of us that spend time around seniors. We also need to remember to take care of ourselves. Go to your doctor for your regular checkup. Get those preventative appointments out of the way. Odds are, you’re healthy. But if you haven’t stuck to the regular routine during this time (and who has?), you need to remember to take care of these things. It’s going to seem like a lot. It’s going to be a bit overwhelming. But it is absolutely important to do these things in order to ensure that you stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
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