#COVID19 Social Justice – Equality results to Unity
April 5, 2020
#COVID19 – The Unforgettable Easter
April 12, 2020
© Rudy Rucker. “Hazmat Spring.” Acrylic, 40″ x 30″, April, 2020 This is my fourth pandemic painting. It’s thematically inspired by Botticelli’s “Spring,” but with the person wearing a hazmat suit. S/he might be me or my wife enjoying a rare outing, or maybe the cheerful neighbor who’s been trimming their hillside with a sickle and a weed whacker, right adjacent to our back yard, which is where I paint. I started with overall action smears, like I’ve been doing, then cropped down the marks to form odd, vaguely medieval plants. I hope they’re not viruses. The flowers resemble breasts, in keeping with the rebirth motif of spring.
More info www.rudyrucker.com/paintings
Rudy Rucker | rudy@rudyrucker.com
World Health Communication Associates (WHCA) & INSPIRIT Creatives UG NGO,
MediaWise and MediaFocusUK
Strengthening connections
while keeping distance
News You Can Use
We are all vulnerable to this virus. This is a unique time for our communities all over the world as we work to combat this massive global threat. This blog aims to collect and share your stories and reflections that can help others to cope, thrive and build resilience…
Our communities are at different stages of response in different parts of the world. We can learn a lot from each other. Building on World Health Organization and other evidence-based guidance, this blog will gather and disseminate stories that inform, inspire and hopefully strengthen social connectiveness while we all practice physical distancing.
We invite you to contribute. At present we are looking for stories in the following areas:
May the force be with all of us.
Sabrina, Mike, Steve, Tuuli and Franklin for the Connecting Communities team
BLOG: https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/coronavirus-connecting-communities
Email: cccov19@gmail.com
See: https://www.whcaonline.org | https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/humanity
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12385075/ | Twitter: @connecting_comm
Newsletter: https://www.cccovid19.org
| Disclaimer – We try to include stories that respect World Health Organisation COVID19 guidance. Links take you to full published stories. Our Connecting Communities team screens and selects stories but can not guarantee accuracy of reporting and mentions of any products does not indicate endorsement. |
Isolation tips – what are you doing to make this a healthier, less stressful and more positive time?
What you eat affects how you feel, tips to improve your mood.
This is Google translated version of an article written by the journalist Carmen Barreiro of El Correo
Neuroscientist Raquel Marín says that the brain and the intestine are united “for good and for bad . ” And that both what we eat and what we do in our daily routine “has important repercussions in the way in which our brain ages and becomes ill”. So, yes, what we eat directly affects our mental health. And in these days of confinement, it is essential to keep your spirits high to face with the best possible attitude everything that comes your way, which, for the moment, can be another two weeks of confinement.
In her book ‘Get your brain in shape’ (Roca Editorial), Dr. Marín offers a series of very practical and “necessary” guidelines to achieve maximum efficiency in our minds, including a comprehensive action plan to raise our spirits. through food and healthy lifestyle habits. It is a program to “reduce demotivation and apathy”, a state of mind that visits us too often in these weeks. “There is no magic wand that modifies stimulation and motivation patterns, but there are parameters in lifestyle and nutrition that can contribute to making us feel better”, explains the professor of Physiology and author of more than a hundred publications international.
Dr. Marín insists on the importance of an adequate consumption of omega-3 in its different forms for the state of mind: fish and seed oils. Also of linseed, walnut, hemp, soybean, corn, olive, unrefined sunflower, peanuts, broad beans, red beans; and fatty fish such as herring, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, anchovies, tuna and salmon “are part of the” star diet” to come top in quarantine. Another key to keeping the brain ‘happy’ – not only in these confined days but throughout our lives – is “taking food that helps us make norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin” such as cereals, nuts and legumes.
“To have a happy brain, we cannot forget to feed the bugs well either.” The neuroscientist refers to all that flora and fauna that abounds in our intestines and that also needs its good daily ration of nutrients. “The bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts that make up the gut microbiota are the real architects of food becoming useful for the body,” he explains. Include fresh fruit, celery, onion, garlic, chives, leek, and fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha, yogurt, miso, or a nutritious sauerkraut on your menu and you’ll see how happy the bugs are.
Studies also show that “heavy digestions, strong flavors, sugary foods and saturated fats are great enemies of mood,” recalls the specialist. The craving for chocolate usually increases when we are down, so if these days you get a crazy desire to eat chocolate, try to make it sugar-free and with the highest percentage of cocoa.
What you should avoid to keep your brain in shape is alcohol consumption. And in this aspect it seems that we are not doing things very well, since beer has been among the best-selling products in supermarkets in recent days. “The consumption of alcoholic beverages supposes a momentary relief of discouragement, but produces the opposite effect a posteriori. In addition, if consumed in excess it is neurotoxic and influences imbalances in female hormones, “adds the neuroscientist. One last piece of information. The resveratrol provided by red wine can be obtained from wild berries and peanuts.
But, of course, the brain does not live on food alone. You also have to give it encouragement with physical and mental activity. At home you can practice theater and thus we improve coordination, memory, emotions … It is a powerful tool for the mind. Imitate, improvise, stage. We can also exercise smell, which is an ancient survival mechanism and occupies a lot of memory. Try to identify spice smells or make a dish with a different touch. Your brain will be more positive and more rote, “recommends Marín.
Access to the original document on two pages at these links:
Living with a positive brain
Living with a positive brain 2http://www.raquelmarin.net/entrevistas/alimenta-tu-cerebro-en-positivo/
Hygiene behaviour helpers– what are you doing to keep you and your family safe from Corona infection?
ECDC on ‘Community face masks”
- The use of medical face masks by healthcare workers must be given priority over the use in the community.
- The use of face masks in public may serve as a means of source control to reduce the spread of the infection in the community by minimising the excretion of respiratory droplets from infected individuals who have not yet developed symptoms or who remain asymptomatic. It is not known how much the use of masks in the community can contribute to a decrease in transmission in addition to the other countermeasures.
- The use of face masks in the community could be considered, especially when visiting busy, closed spaces, such as grocery stores, shopping centres, or when using public transport, etc.
- The use of non-medical face masks made of various textiles could be considered, especially if – due to supply problems – medical face masks must be prioritised for use as personal protective equipment by healthcare workers. This is based on limited indirect evidence supporting the use of non-medical face masks as a means of source control.
- The use of face masks in the community should be considered only as a complementary measure and not as a replacement for established preventive measures, for example physical distancing, respiratory etiquette, meticulous hand hygiene and avoiding touching the face, nose, eyes and mouth.
- Appropriate use of face masks is key for the effectiveness of the measure and can be improved through education campaigns.
- Recommendations on the use of face masks in the community should carefully take into account evidence gaps, the supply situation, and potential negative side effects.
‘Interim” Mask guidelines – WHO 6/4/20
“Wearing a medical mask is one of the prevention measures that can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including COVID-19. However, the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, and other measures should also be adopted…
Medical masks {in first instance}should be reserved for health care workers. The use of medical masks in the community may create a false sense of security, with neglect of other essential measures, such as hand hygiene practices and physical distancing, and may lead to touching the face under the masks and under the eyes, result in unnecessary costs, and take symptoms. The true extent of asymptomatic infections will be determined from serologic studies. Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19: interim guidance -2- masks away from those in health care who need them most, especially when masks are in short supply…
In some countries masks are worn in accordance with local customs or in accordance with advice by national authorities in the context of COVID-19. In these situations, best practices should be followed about how to wear, remove, and dispose of them, and for hand hygiene after removal…
Advice to decision makers on the use of masks for healthy people in community settings As described above, the wide use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not supported by current evidence and carries uncertainties and critical risks. WHO offers the following advice to decision makers so they apply a risk-based approach.
Decisions makers should consider the following:
1. Purpose of mask use: the rationale and reason for mask use should be clear– whether it is to be used for source control (used by infected persons) or prevention of COVID-19 (used by healthy persons)
2. Risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus in the local context: The population: current epidemiology about how widely the virus is circulating (e.g., clusters of cases versus community transmission), as well as local surveillance and testing capacity (e.g., contact tracing and follow up, ability to carry out testing). The individual: working in close contact with public (e.g., community health worker, cashier)
3. Vulnerability of the person/population to develop severe disease or be at higher risk of death, e.g. people with comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus, and older people
4. Setting in which the population lives in terms of population density, the ability to carry out physical distancing (e.g. on a crowded bus), and risk of rapid spread (e.g. closed settings, slums, camps/camp-like settings).
5. Feasibility: availability and costs of the mask, and tolerability by individuals
6. Type of mask: medical mask versus nonmedical mask (see below)
In addition to these factors, potential advantages of the use of mask by healthy people in the community setting include reducing potential exposure risk from infected person during the “pre-symptomatic” period and stigmatization of individuals wearing mask for source control. However, the following potential risks should be carefully taken into account in any decision-making process:
- self-contamination that can occur by touching and reusing contaminated mask
- depending on type of mask used, potential breathing difficulties
- false sense of security, leading to potentially less adherence to other preventive measures such as physical distancing and hand hygiene
- diversion of mask supplies and consequent shortage of mask for health care workers
- diversion of resources from effective public health measures, such as hand hygiene
Whatever approach is taken, it is important to develop a strong communication strategy to explain to the population the circumstances, criteria, and reasons for decisions. The population should receive clear instructions on what masks to wear, when and how (see mask management section), and on the importance of continuing to strictly follow all other IPC measures (e.g., hand hygiene, physical distancing, and others).
Type of Mask
WHO stresses that it is critical that medical masks and respirators be prioritized for health care workers. The use of masks made of other materials (e.g., cotton fabric), also known as nonmedical masks, in the community setting has not been well evaluated. There is no current evidence to make a recommendation for or against their use in this setting. WHO is collaborating with research and development partners to better understand the effectiveness and efficiency of nonmedical masks. WHO is also strongly encouraging countries that issue recommendations for the use of masks in healthy people in the community to conduct research on this critical topic. WHO will update its guidance when new evidence becomes available. Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19: interim guidance -3- In the interim, decision makers may be moving ahead with advising the use of nonmedical masks. Where this is the case, the following features related to nonmedical masks should be taken into consideration:
- Numbers of layers of fabric/tissue
- Breathability of material used
- Water repellence/hydrophobic qualities
- Shape of mask
- Fit of mask…
Mask management
For any type of mask, appropriate use and disposal are essential to ensure that they are effective and to avoid any increase in transmission. The following information on the correct use of masks is derived from practices in health care settings. • Place the mask carefully, ensuring it covers the mouth and nose, and tie it securely to minimize any gaps between the face and the mask. • Avoid touching the mask while wearing it. • Remove the mask using the appropriate technique: do not touch the front of the mask but untie it from behind. • After removal or whenever a used mask is inadvertently touched, clean hands using an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water if hands are visibly dirty. • Replace masks as soon as they become damp with a new clean, dry mask. • Do not re-use single-use masks. • Discard single-use masks after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removal.”
Community actions – what are you and your neighbours doing to help each other?
Bansky – Applauds NHS
Ghana Government Absorbs Water bills of citizens By Maxwell Awumah, Accra
President Akufo-Addo has announced that water bills for all Ghanaians for the next three months – April, May, June – will be absorbed by the government, as the fight against coronavirus intensifies.
Addressing the Nation on Sunday, the President said: “The Ghana Water Company Ltd and the Electricity Company of Ghana have been directed to ensure the stable supply of water and electricity during this period. In addition, there will be no disconnection of supply.
“Furthermore, the government will absorb the water bills for all Ghanaians for the next three months, ie, April, May, and June. All water tankers, publicly and privately-owned, are also going to be mobilized to ensure the supply of water to all vulnerable communities,”
The President also said government will roll out a two-year soft loan scheme for small and medium scale businesses as part of government support for them in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
He lauded the donors into Ghana’s Covid-19 National Trust Fund, which was established to compliment government’s efforts in the fight against the pandemic that has yielded some GH¢8.75million ($1.62M). has already been received into the fund. This, he said includes some $600,000.
The monies would also be used “to assist in the welfare of the needy and the vulnerable.”
“I am grateful to the individuals and institutions” who have responded to his call to do so.
“I am happy that so many of my appointees have also followed my example by donating their salaries to the fund,” the President said.
The President announced that all frontline health workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic will be paid an additional 50 per cent of their basic salary for March to June 2020.
The March incentive will be added to that of April.
Additionally, all health workers will be exempted from paying taxes on their personal emoluments for the next three months, effective April.
He also announced that an insurance package with an assured sum of GHc350,000 had been put in place for each health worker and allied professional, while a daily allowance of GHc150 was being paid to contact tracers. The Ministry of Transport has made available ‘Aayololo’ buses to convey frontline health workers for free in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi, to and from work, along specific routes for the entire duration of the restrictions on movements in those hotspots.
Europa InCanto – 700 bambini cantano Nessun Dorma – Turandot
Virtual Culture Programme ( Waltham Forest, UK)
Waltham Forest Council has launched a free Virtual Culture Programme, to support residents during this challenging time. From Monday 6 April, there will be free online activities including activity sheets, live and recorded videos to follow along with and workshops. 30 fantastic local artists and creatives have put together a varied programme for all ages and abilities and topics will include things such as book clubs, music lessons, photography, African dance, bag making and so much more.
These enjoyable and fun activities will give residents opportunities to learn new skills and safely interact with others during isolation so they will still feel involved and included with their community.
Learning from Italy – Making music together to connect (New Yorker article)
While under national quarantine, neighbors all across Italy played music together to create a sense of much-needed connection.
Watch this video on The Scene.
https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/meet-the-italians-who-made-music-together-on-their-balconies
Working remotely – how are you making new work realities productive?
Working from home as an opportunity (World Economic Forum, Japan)
For some people, the coronavirus crisis has provided them with an opportunity to rethink their relationships with family members.
Ms Mayumi Funaki runs Shipood, a firm that offers public relations services for companies, with her husband: “I was doing 60% of the domestic work and he was doing 40%, but that’s completely reversed. It’s more like 40/60 now because my husband is spending much more time at home.”
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/japan-covid-19-situation-and-coronavirus-impact/
Virtual classrooms – how are you learning and training from home?
Little Music Makers – Bristol UK
Bringing song and movement activity to pre-schoolers in lock down…
Public Policies – what policies are easing your burden?
New Zealand ‘hard and early action’
When Jacinda Ardern announced a requirement for everyone entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days, she told the nation what New Zealand’s strategy for the months ahead would be: “We must go hard and we must go early”.
Five days later, she announced the borders would close. Four days after that, Ardern said the country would be going into lockdown.
…epidemiologist Michael Baker says New Zealand is the only Western country that has a chance to eradicate Covid-19, instead of just containing and managing it until a vaccine is developed. If the lockdown succeeds, stringent social distancing measures can be eased and life can return to something approaching normal, even if the borders remain closed or entry to the country severely curtailed.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/04/06/1117839/how-does-nzs-covid-19-response-stack-up-to-overseas
Maintaining essential services – what is being done to keep food, mail, delivery, water, gas, telephone, internet, sanitation function well in your community?
Corona Engineering! ( MSF, Italy)
In elderly facilities, where vulnerable people live in close contact, contagion can be very fast. This is why it is essential to limit it and protect the workers who work there.
How is it? Explains it to us in this video Anja, MSF technician for infection control, engaged in Marche #Covid19
https://www.medicisenzafrontiere.it/news-e-storie/news/cornavirus-italia-attivita-anziani-marche/
Support for Communications Leaders- experienced communicators, free, confidential, and quick (UK and beyond)
On Thursday, 9 April the Taskforce launched a new service to provide communications leaders with free advice on how to manage consultancies and in-house teams through the COVID-19 crisis.
The service connects Taskforce advisors with communications leaders seeking help. Advisors are available provide free, impartial and practical support in 30-minute consultations to professionals around the world.
The CV-19 Taskforce is comprised of highly experienced consultancy owners and communications professionals, adept at managing agencies and organisations through crises
All consultations will be treated with the strictest confidence and all advisors have signed non-disclosure agreements.
How to seek support
To request a free consultations with a Taskforce advisor, please complete this form.
You will be contacted within 3 working days by an advisor to arrange your free 30-minute call or virtual meeting.
https://www.prca.org.uk/CV19taskforce
Keeping things moving ( Polis – Cities and Regions for Transport Innovation)
Covid-19: Keeping Things Moving
As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds, local authorities are stepping forward into the frontlines. This crisis is being tackled in our hospitals, but also in our streets and plazas, on our buses, trains and subways.
At Polis we want to help cities and regions navigate these difficult times. In this section of our website, we will collect examples of how local authorities are keeping things moving despite the Covid-19 crisis. For an overview of useful resources, such as reports, tools and analyses, head to our page ‘Useful resources on Covid-19 and mobility’.
Health Care – how are you as health worker managing, what are you doing to protect yourself and others, what innovations seem promising?
Story of having asymptomatic COVID19 and caring of the loved one with more severe disease – By Noopur Raje
Director, Center for Multiple Myeloma, Massachusetts General Hospital, Rita Kelly Chair in Oncology, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. (USA)
“I never tweet about personal issues—but this is way too important—I am COVID positive and asymptomatic and have been a caregiver for my husband
@JagSinghMD who was critically ill with #COVID19. I’ve learned some things.
He is on day 25 of experiencing symptoms related to being COVID positive. I hope our experience with #coronavirus can be a resource for so many who are being impacted.
After experiencing #Covid_19 from the patient/caregiver end despite both of us being physicians at a major academic medical center, this has been a challenge like no other I have experienced. It is NOT easy for someone sick to self- quarantine and hydrate and wait for things to pass. They require help and care and the ability to know when to get to a hospital as symptoms evolve both quickly and suddenly.
Week 1 was fever, chills and extreme fatigue—we both self- quarantined and used social distancing in the house. Jag needed to be given food and fluids as he was too weak to help himself. I watched over him—used gloves and mask to check vitals and used tylenol, along with home remedies from my mom, like warm water with ginger and turmeric.
By week 2-fevers persisted –tylenol really did not work. There was a lot of hype about Ibuprufen but had to use it, because @jagsinghmd doesn’t really respond to tylenol.
On day 8 he developed a dry cough-had lost 14-pounds—breathing was still fine—so I started an antibiotic (levoflox) and continued to watch closely.
Day 10—while his fever started to lessen, his cough was getting worse— but still no shortness of breath. I felt I needed to get blood work and take him to the hospital—plan was to drive him, but ended up calling 911. The decision to take to the hospital was tough, but I knew it had to be done- it would give him access to whatever medical treatments were being done on trial-and I knew if his breathing got affected, we could be in for bad news. Had to be safe! I was blown away when I saw Jag’s XRAY and CT scan and the bilateral pneumonia he had developed—they consented him for intubation and watched him in the ICU. I slept with my phone next to me knowing that the call I would get would be telling me that they had intubated . #HydroxychloroquineAndAzithromycin based on protocol
@MGHMedicine. He consented the next day for the #remdesivir clinical trial. However, not sure what arm he was on as this a placebo-controlled trial. When I took him to the hospital, I thought it would be for a couple of days—I followed Jag’s labs and saw his inflammatory markers continue to climb. I watched his vitals from afar and seeing a respiratory rate of 26 was difficult. We would to face time each other and he would get short of breath just talking to me – often unable to stay on the phone.
He was in hospital for 9 days. Despite his inflammatory markers continuing to rise until day 16—he looked a little better. I stopped checking his markers as it did not seem to be helpful. It also made Jag anxious when I told him his lab results and did not help my spirits. Through all this, I focused on mundane things around the house—could not do anything but cook, listen to music, do laundry and pray! Jag was a trooper but had days when he felt he was not getting better which increased his anxiety.
I was unable to talk to my extended family as they all looked to us as physicians for support in the family. My children both came to Boston-I have only seen them through the window, but their amazing spirit and positive attitude gave us strength every day. They drop off and continue to drop off groceries at our door -step.
@JagSinghMD fever persisted until day 16—they came on in the evening. Both of us dreaded the evening and dreaded seeing what the thermometer showed—hoping the fevers would STOP.
Day 17 was the first time I knew he was going to be OK-looked better and blood markers were better. He was discharged on day 18. Has been home now for 9 days. Continues to cough, is tired & feels short of breath but is certainly on his way to recovery. Continues to need help.
We have no idea what the sequelae of these are—I have been retested, and remain COVID positive, but still show no symptoms. —the most important take home lessons—1. Stay home, 2. socially distance and 3. please mask up at all times outside the home, as we are all vectors.
Home quarantine for a symptomatic COVID positive patient requires supervision. If you are asymptomatic, the chances are that you have immunity. But being a caregiver is a full- time job and make sure you take all the distancing precautions as you may be the carrier.
Get HELP if you are symptomatic and COVID positive, and if you are not getting better after 5-7 days. If you have a cough which is worsening, that also needs immediate attention. The lung involvement is silent and deadly.
@JagSinghMD and I are so grateful for all the care we have received
@MGHMedicine Huge shout out to the amazing staff in the ICU and
@MGHCancerCenter. Our experience has been surreal despite being lucky enough to have access to the world’s best medical care!
We are all in this TOGETHER and will come out STRONGER together. Please feel free to reach out with questions for #coronavirus . This entire thread is our experience and not meant to be any form of medical advice. We are here as a source of support for anyone who needs help.”
Photograph: Andreas Gebert/Reuters
Blood Plasma from recovered patients benefits ill ( Guardian, UK)
Doctors have found tentative evidence that seriously ill coronavirus patients can benefit from infusions of blood plasma collected from people who have recovered from the disease.
Professor Munir Pirmohamed, the president of the British Pharmacological Society, echoed the need to be cautious about the Wuhan cases. “This was not a randomised trial and all patients also received other treatments including antivirals such as remdesivir, which are currently in trials for Covid-19,” he said.
“It is also important to remember that there are potential safety concerns with convalescent plasma, including transmission of other agents and antibody enhancement of disease,” he added. “Even if shown to work, scalability to treat large numbers of patients may become an issue.”
Imperial College – Impact of Isolation Estimates on 11 European Countries (UK)
“With current interventions remaining in place to at least the end of March, we estimate that interventions across all 11 countries will have averted 59,000 deaths up to 31 March [95% credible interval 21,000-120,000]. Many more deaths will be averted through ensuring that interventions remain in place until transmission drops to low levels. We estimate that, across all 11 countries between 7 and 43 million individuals have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 up to 28th March, representing between 1.88% and 11.43% of the population. The proportion of the population infected – the attack rate – is estimated to be highest in Spain followed by Italy and lowest in Germany and Norway, reflecting the relative stages of the epidemics.
Given the lag of 2-3 weeks between when transmission changes occur and when their impact can be observed in trends in mortality, for most of the countries considered here it remains too early to be certain that recent interventions have been effective. If interventions in countries at earlier stages of their epidemic, such as Germany or the UK, are more or less effective than they were in the countries with advanced epidemics, on which our estimates are largely based, or if interventions have improved or worsened over time, then our estimates of the reproduction number and deaths averted would change accordingly. It is therefore critical that the current interventions remain in place and trends in cases and deaths are closely monitored in the coming days and weeks to provide reassurance that transmission of SARS-Cov-2 is slowing.”
New Posts:
17.04.2020
https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/covid19-life-after-easter/
12.04.2020
https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/covid19-the-unforgettable-easter/
Previous Posts:
05.04.2020
https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/covid19-social-justice-equality-results-to-unity/
01.04.2020
https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/covid19-truthful-communication/
29.03.2020
https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/covid19-staying-a-live-stay-inside/
26.03.2020
#COVID19 – Strengthening communities while keeping distance
22.03.2020
Strengthening connections while keeping distance
#COVID19 – Stories around the World
18.03.2020
https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/coronavirus-connecting-communities/