COVID 19 Update from CDC (For Asthma)

 

For those worried about asthma and COVID 19 (Coronavirus), this is the most updated info from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) as of March 16th, 2020.

I enlarged this so you can read it (hopefully), but the most important thing I read was:

"COVID-19 can affect your respiratory tract (nose, throat, lungs), cause an asthma attack, and possibly lead to pneumonia an acute respiratory distress."

Of the 12 hospitalizations for daughter Kitty and Son #2, almost all of them were due to pneumonia. I can't begin to describe how terrifying that was for our whole family. My kids would usually spend 3 days in the hospital, and then were discharged to come home on oxygen. They would be on oxygen for another week, and it was a long, slow recovery. They were usually weak and struggled to do anything other than watch videos or play video games.

Those with asthma are ALWAYS hit harder with any respiratory disease (the cold, the flu, etc.)

But now even healthy people are getting COVID 19. 

And what is scary about this is how fast it's spreading, and how many people are infected. Many people test positive for the virus yet don't have symptoms. 

To make matters worse, hospitals are running low on supplies. Yesterday, our biggest hospital system here announced that they were cancelling all elective surgeries. They desperately need the beds and medical supplies for COVID cases.

Have you heard the stories of the hospitals running out of ventilators? Doctors are making the agonizing choice of who gets to live and die. 

So, what can you do to help slow the spread? 

STAY HOME!

Hubby and I are both working from home and college Son #2 told his boss he isn't going to work this week. It's okay - we'll loan him money if he needs it. Kitty's job is still open (much to my chagrin). I'm hoping our local government recommends they close. 

A county health department not far from us just closed:

• all restaurants (you can use the drive thru but can't go inside)
• all movie theaters are closed
• bars and clubs
• bowling ally
• libraries
• etc

Grocery stores and pharmacies are allowed to stay open.

Make sure you have enough of your asthma meds, and if you take a daily, controller inhaler, don't skip a dose! Protect the lungs.

Good luck everyone and stay healthy!