We gave Covid19 the keys to our house ten days ago, how are things going?

It is 08.00 am on Friday 11 September 2020, the eleventh day of back to school. Today, our child is off school – an easy decision in the face of her having caught a lousy head cold, a snotty nose and constant sneezing.

 But what if this is Covid19 saying hello to us? What? Already? OMG!!!  Ok – OK – OK – steady on, let’s try not to panic – step back, take a slow deep breath, and think! This is the first test of whether we can still think logically and sensibly. What are the facts?

• Our child: we have a child feeling tired and miserable for obvious reasons and in need of a lot of support and physical comforting, day and night
• At home: Our new home sanitary regime is working reasonably well – the default of self-isolation; extra home ventilation; daily exercise regime; facemasks for essential out-and-abouts; and the C³ regime (Child Covid Cleansing); we just need to improve and consolidate our delivery standards
• School: Still open; the director has not communicated any problems; informal chats at the school gate do not reveal any active Covid 19 issues in the school
• Family head colds: At the start of every new school year, the first thing our child does is get a nasty cold, which often goes into her chest as well. Mum and dad then get it too.

Our decision, rightly or wrongly, is to manage this latest episode on first principles, as the usual annual ritual, i.e.  simple isolation, no Covid 19 testing and let it run its course.

Our conclusion, rightly or wrongly – if this turns out to be Covid 19, there is absolutely no way for mum or dad to avoid it. All we can do is to continue to get into the best shape possible in case we need to face the music. Incidentally, we have just had our Covid 19 antibodies checked (on account of a suspicious Covid 19 like episode two months ago). Our results were both negative, darn it! – so no comfort there.

Context: we ARE part of the bigger picture: Working our way through this particularly common scenario has generated a strong sense of identity and community with all the other many thousands of families going through the exact same dilemmas right now. We are not alone.

And meanwhile:

• Dad, on expert advice, is getting a pneumococcal vaccination (pneumonia history)
• Mum and dad are both getting a flu jab later this month
• We are keeping our mental capacities focused on the positive, not the emotional negative: the subject under study is ‘Do any of the plethora of so-called immunity enhancers actually come with a rock-solid evidence base?’ We will report in due course.

By John Saunders

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
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News: https://cccovid19.org/corona_virus/

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.

While we grieve for the tremendous loss of lives in so many countries, we can see and feel that the need to connect communities and share learning grows everyday. Please attach your comments and stories to this blog or send them to cccov19@gmail.com or attach them to this blog. We welcome stories in all languages and from all countries. Here are some first examples of stories and links. Send us yours and make this blog useful.