Travel is limited from Europe to the United States for 30 days.
Italy is on lockdown.
The NBA, NHL, MLS and March Madness are all canceled or postponed.
Broadway is closed and Tom Hanks has tested positive.
We may be feeling out of control with how quickly COVID-19 is spreading, but we can and must slow down the rate of infection.
The critical importance of slowing the virus’ spread was clearly explained in a recent article in the news outlet Vox, “…the speed at which the outbreak plays out matters hugely for its consequences. What epidemiologists fear most is the health care system becoming overwhelmed by a sudden explosion of illness that requires more people to be hospitalized than it can handle. In that scenario, more people will die because there won’t be enough hospital beds or ventilators to keep them alive.”
This is what people mean when they say we need to “Flatten the Curve”. As shown in the graph below, if the virus spreads too quickly, the overall need may surpass our current health system’s capacity resulting in unnecessary deaths due to shortages of essential medical equipment like respirators.
This is why canceled events and self-quarantines can save lives.
“Right now there’s always a doctor available when you need one, but that may not be the case if we’re not careful,” says Emily Landon, an infectious disease specialist and hospital epidemiologist at the University of Chicago Medicine.
As you make decisions in the coming weeks, here are some helpful tips to be mindful and take preventative action where you can:
- Cancel large gatherings
- Work from home
- Maintain social distance (see this article for more on that)
- Continue to check the CDC COVID-19 webpage to ensure you are up to date on the latest news and recommendations.
- If you experience COVID-19 symptoms, use telehealth to speak to a provider.
At Karis, we’re dedicated to staying at the forefront of this pandemic by providing relevant information and tools to help you navigate the COVID-19 outbreak. If you are a Karis Group member and need help finding a doctor in your area, you can submit a member service request or call 855-527-3360.
We hosted a webinar on April 8th to explain how you can help your members or employees make smart healthcare decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
If you are interested in providing telemedicine to your group plan or signing yourself (+family) up for telemedicine click below:
