COVID-19 Call to Action: Failure is not an option
#WeallaretheCovidCavalry #COVID-19
Our current approach to combat coronavirus, COVD-19 in the US is destined for failure. We need to have a coordinated plan and approach to be effective in reducing the impact on lives and financial crisis.
Staying the course of 5 States in the country with lockdown and some States (last I checked there were 3 States) with no restrictions on gatherings is going to lead to:
1. Prolonging the impact of the pandemic, as the Country is not in lockdown and this will lead to cross contamination across regions;
2. It will lead to higher severity in financial crisis, as economy will be shuttered for longer;
3. Sales of guns have already started rising. As I see it guns are either used for offense or defense, point is if we run out of money and basic necessities this will only escalate social chaos.
We are in uncharted waters when it comes to COVID-19’s rate of spread, lack of cure and ability to stay dormant undetected before exhibiting symptoms. However we do have past experience and a daily unfolding series of events that can help us with our playbook for action.
I am a cybersecurity professional and have created incident response plans for helping organizations anticipate data breaches and managing large scale impact from a breach for over 20 years. There are a couple of critical actions that we take when there is a breach that overlaps in dealing with our current pandemic state.
The actions are simple, it’s the execution that is complex:
1. Stop the infection from spreading.
2. Sanitize the infected points.
Lets discuss what that means for us now.
Note: An incident response plan is most effective as a proactive step, it should be created, communicated to all stakeholders and tested before the incident because once you are in the incident the damage starts and the stopwatch ticking. Every second counts and that is not the time to start planning but executing the plan.
We are starting too late but we can try to slow down the pace at which the situation is deteriorating. Even though we find ourselves in a reactive state, to truly avoid dire consequences we have to have to have an effective reaction strategy.
We as a nation can all do our part in both these actions, these are my ideas, please write yours we all know necessity is the mother of invention: Both the critical actions are:
1. Stop the infection from spreading.
Containment is key, and in this case it means social distancing and avoiding unnecessary contact with other people. Since we don’t have enough testing capability it’s best to assume anyone can be potentially infected. Protect yourself and others, this is one instance where common good strongly affects individual good.
Propublica has released a video based on new data released by the Harvard Global Health Institute. In the researchers’ worst-case scenario of the virus spreading at the current rate, in as much as a six month period with 60% of the population sick, the nation would require more than seven times the number of available hospital beds current capacity.
2. Sanitize the infected points.
People who are showing symptoms have to be isolated to restrict spread of infection.
Also, There is a massive national shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) to fight COVID-19. Aside from washing hands and disinfecting surfaces in the current situation on a personal level This is where we can help:
Donate supplies for Medical workers safety and treatment of patients:
· N95 Respirators
· Face Masks/Surgical Masks
· Face Shields
· Surgical Gowns
· Gloves (nitrile, or non-latex)
· Thermometers
· Thermometer Covers (if applicable to type of thermometer)
· Hand Sanitizer
· Other Medical Items
Help Sew Face Masks
A hospital in Western Washington, Providence, reached out to “ those in the Seattle area with a willing heart, the ability to sew and a sewing machine, we have an opportunity to help make masks now. We created kits that will include all the materials you need to make 100 masks. This kit includes medical-grade material that has been lab tested. This material is not available for purchase commercially, which is why we are supplying it to our volunteers.” They got an enthusiastic response and the community came through.
There is a group formed on Facebook to evaluate, design, validate, and source the fabrication of open source emergency medical supplies around the world, given a variety of local supply conditions. They have instructions and guidance on how to create some of the supplies but please note its best to check with your State on what help they need and their criteria for accepting donations.
Healthcare is leveraging technology
Healthcare technologies are aiding in the fight to curb the transmission of coronavirus. These include videoconferencing for remote care, using robots for performing basic diagnostic functions, such as taking blood pressure and temperature and using technology and tools to help get information out to patients and providers more quickly.
Are there areas you are familiar with that can be of help in technology?
Please add your thoughts, comments or suggestions on areas we can work on for increasing our preparation and resilience to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, lets stay calm and be kind to ourselves and others.
Please see: Earlier this month, Harvard Medical School hosted a workshop on COVID-19 with clinicians, epidemiologists, virologists, bio-pharmaceutical and government representatives —they laid out a framework for a coordinated and collaborative response to the pandemic currently sweeping across the globe. Their efforts established the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness (MassCPR), a large, multi-institutional initiative to develop and invest in the research and infrastructure needed to address the threat posed by COVID-19, as well as to better position the world for future emerging pathogens.