Week 7 of life in quarantine is behind us.
7 weeks. Whoa. Can you believe it’s been that long?!
How are you doing? We’re hanging in there. I summed up my feelings in this post, but when it comes down to it I’m trying to keep the VERY important perspective that we’re lucky to have our health. Still, it’s been a LOT to be home with a newborn and two toddlers. We sway between feeling grateful and happy to spend so much time together, to frustrated and feeling like we just. need. a. minute. I’ll do a post with more on how we’ve been coping soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to kick off the upcoming weekend with something a bit different.
Lately it seems like all I read is bad-news headlines and information, to the point where I’ve had to really be intentional about reading the news. (I still stay informed, of course, but I limit my intake to just once a day because all the negativity was really starting to get to me.)
This week, though, I’ve read a few things that have actually been positive. They made me feel hopeful. So, I thought I’d share some of that good news with you in efforts to try and spread a bit of joy where I can.
A Bit Of Good News, For Once
I’ve linked to all of the sources within their respective bullets, if you’d like to read more!
A remdesivir trial revealed it could speed up recovery in some patients, which is HUGE news.
Dr. Anthony Fauci called it a “very important first step” in the treatment of the bug, and said the FDA will likely approve the medication for use against the virus “really quickly.”
The new findings are also consistent with a growing number of lab experiments and models that suggest a link between virus viability and “seasonality,” or weather and climate conditions. (Though the links to seasonality are promising, I’ll note scientists are skeptical of leaning on summer as a “miracle.” But still, it’s promising.)
The country is not under a national lockdown, although social distancing is being widely observed. South Korea reported zero new infections this week, in what was once one of the hardest-hit places in the world.
Many field hospitals went largely unused.
A sign the deadly disease was not nearly as cataclysmic as it might have been. The USNS Comfort hospital ship sailed away from New York City today, a month after it arrived.
Women, whether from China, Italy or the U.S., have been less likely to become acutely ill — and far more likely to survive.
Doctors have even noted that something about pregnancy seems to be protective. Scientists are exploring estrogen and other sex hormones as a way to help combat COVID-19. (As good as this is for women, it’s bad for men. So this bullet comes with that sad caveat. But I AM hopeful that they’re onto finding something that can help those affected with this observation in mind.)
In closing, I just want to say I’m so thankful for the amazing scientists and medical professionals making waves, both in the hospitals and in medical advancements against COVID-19.
