It was a strange indeed to see five city council members sitting every other seat at the most recent city council meeting honoring the 6-foot rule, while the other council members dialed in from elsewhere. What seemed unusual may become the usual for a while, if not much longer.
Our daughter is experiencing Covid-19 up close and personal. She is a critical care intensivist pulmonologist in Chicago. She was in Sierra Leone with Doctors without Borders during the Ebola breakout; Covid-19 is far worse. A typical day at the hospital is from 6am til 8pm, then home doing charts til midnight day after day like Groundhog Day. The hard part, as you have heard, is the lack of supplies and equipment.
Covid-19 stands for (Co)rona (Vi)rus (D)isease-20(19). By now most of us know the symptoms, but questions about how to tell the difference between Covid-19 and the flu, a cold, strep, COPD, and allergies can be confusing.
I was a pharmacist, now retired but still licensed and registered, long before I was Watchdog. The following symptoms may help differentiate:
Covid-19
- Shortness of breath
- Fever
- Gradual onset (a few days to a few weeks)
- Dry cough
COPD
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness
- Wheezing
- Lack of energy
- Clearing your throat in the morning
Flu
- Sore throat
- Quick onset
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Fever
- Dry cough
Strep
- Painful swallowing
- Sore throat
- Fever
Cold
- Sneezing
- Runny nose
- Aches and pains
- Allergies
- Red swollen eyes
- Tickle in throat
- Itchy nose and eyes
C-H-I (Chronic Human Imperfection)
- Making mistakes
- Not having all the answers
- Thinking you have symptoms of every disease
OK, so the last one is not medically recognized, but it does feel real.
We will make it through this, we always have. From the time man first discovered fire and stone-throwing, he suffered from ‘Creeping Crud’, and ‘Holy Cow, What Have I Got Now’.
When we come out the other end, after all the hand-washing, the only question will be how much is our water bill.
Hoping for the best for you and yours.