This may be a step of paranoia. But I’m a Database Administrator. We make paranoid decisions and “gamble” for the good of an organization. We’ve decided to cancel the Seacoast SQL Server Users Group meeting this coming Monday.
Normally, we’d just post this on the meetup and be done with it. But I wanted one more chance to share a graph and some data. Covid19 – the disease coming from the SarsCOV2 virus going around right now – is spreading, and it’s serious.
We’re a small gathering. But we decided to do our part to #FlattenTheCurve.
This is a really serious situation we are facing as a human society. The virus and the disease from it are still not as widespread as the Common Flu – as most folks say. In fact, the flu has killed a LOT MORE people this year and hopefully that will hold true. But a few facts:
- It’s 5x – 10x more deadly than the flu percentage wise.
- It’s more infectious than the flu.
- There is no vaccine.
- Containment is sort of off the table for most western nations. It’s about mitigation and improving the situation.
The age ranges and risk for serious disease or death still so far look “good” for those under 60 or without comorbidities – but there are some reports now coming out of Italy – and being shared widespread – that the doctors in the Lombardy region, and elsewhere, are making mass-casualty-incident like triage decisions. This disease is wreaking havoc on the lungs of those most hit by it – and the solution is intubation – sometimes with receiving artificial respirations for 3-4 weeks on a ventilator in an ICU with serious medical/pharmacological intervention. Doctors are reporting having to decide “Who to intubate or not.”
As a former EMT and a Paramedic Student, I’ve done the MCI drills and understand the concepts of triage. It’s the right and only choice when confronted with an overwhelming number of patients. They are making decisions literally about whose lives to save and not save in the region of Italy with some of the best health care. And there are patients well under the “risky age” we keep hearing about.
OUR JOB as citizens of the world right now ought to be to do the most we can to avoid the spread. Not for ourselves only. But for all of us. If we can delay the peak here in our states and nation – we can save lives. We can avoid overcrowding the ICU all at once and having to have our clinicians decide which patients get intubation, and which don’t.
This may feel like an overreaction. But go look at the news. Go see some of the links about Italy. About the “Curve” I’m talking about flattening (thanks to those who made and adapted this above!). Go read about Italy.
Think twice before doing anything non-essential. Wash your hands. Cover your sneezes. And stop traveling. Today.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/who-gets-hospital-bed/607807/
1 thought on “#FlattenTheCurve – SeacoastSQL Canceled Next Week.”