COVID-19 Roundup: First Weekend in May 2020

I've heard it said that it's become more difficult than ever to "stop and smell the flowers".

For the Healthcare Heroes of the frontlines, any amount of time not spent engaged in the act of caring and healing invariably has to involve answering the most basic needs as well as being present with their loved ones. The situation is undoubtedly similar for the Essential forces, who have to venture out bravely in spite of all dangers, and for the whole human race having to adjust to a life without what we remember of abundance and activity.

Now more than ever I appreciate flowers and poetry. We need both. We require a soothing of our spirits, and a softening of our hearts.

When the effects of COVID-19 present themselves to us, like a bone-chilling winter breeze carrying toxic fumes, I wish we would cover not simply our faces with protective coverings but also our hearts and minds with the fragrant anti-septics of wisdom and virtue: of remembering to be kind to ourselves and others while taking solace in words and acts of empathy and patience.

Doing so may make it possible for us to declare, one day with Cervantes: "Tomorrow is a new day."

TCG (The Castle Group) Prepares Eight Item Checklist For Businesses Considering Reopening

Developing effective countermeasures, contingencies, and emergency management procedures is a must for any serious business, but forming a strategy around re-opening shop and, specifically, on how to do so properly, is a complex situation capturing the attention (and frustration) of governments and agencies just as much as private sector leaders, teams and organizations.

TCG (The Castle Group) is a PR agency based in New England but with global reach. Its reputation speaks for itself and, as such, I will center my focus primarily on these two things: Acknowledging the proof of work which TCG has managed to accomplish in terms of COVID-19 responsive efforts and specifically this checklist of eight best practices.

These best practices were formed as part of TCG's COVID-19 Business Recovery Plan. Dr. David Shulkin, one of TCG's medical experts, covers a broad spectrum of consideration: from mandatory health screening to reasonable travel restrictions, altering meetings to the physical environment itself.

The present situation doesn't simply recommend a solid plan - it demands it, as a matter of life and death in fact.

COVID-19 Simulator Showcases Yet Another Example of Innovation In-Demand

Silver linings are quite difficult indeed to identify in a pandemic. The physical, psychological, financial and societal impacts are heavy - they hurt in several different degrees. Once understood however, the role of groundbreaking tools and tactics can be appreciated for their role in helping to better understand and eventually overcome COVID-19 through knowledge and the application of that intelligence.

The COVID-19 Simulator, put together by a highly specialized team of medical researchers based out of Harvard Medical School, is helping policymakers better anticipate and implement measures based on actionable data which they can investigate and infer from in their decision-making progress.

“Policymakers need to make decisions quickly—our analysis shows that even a week’s time can have a huge impact on the future trajectory of COVID-19. We developed the COVID-19 Simulator to inform such key decisions under this highly uncertain environment,” Lead Investigator Jagpreet Chhatwal, HMS Assistant Professor of radiology/Senior Scientist at the Mass General Institute for Technology Assessment.

With several states testing the waters of reopening, the simulator is proving itself to be particularly useful in helping to stress caution and present evidence which may run contrary to impassioned sentiment yet demonstrates an objective, logical and mathematically methodological-backed argument in favour of continued vigilance not only on the part of policymakers but business leaders along with the general public.

That said, it should be noted that with the prevalence of the unknown in relation to COVID-19, the mere development of prediction models is a difficult task in and of itself. The determination which has seen consistent iteration and refinement on the part of the simulator team speaks to a broader spirit of common cause-based sentiment which continues to create progress and opportunity on the innovation front.

COVID-19 Survivor Manuel G.Alzuru's Call to Action Represents Sea Change in Tech, Blockchain, and Beyond: The Story of Fight Pandemics

When something bigger than ourselves, that is, bigger than our egos, appears in front of us with open arms and a "come hither" approach, reactions and responses will vary obviously from individual to individual. What I'm seeing with COVID-19 however is very curious, quite surprising and incredibly encouraging. What I'm seeing is community building, collaborative problem solving, and ultimately attempting to unify for the greater good.

We are here to aggregates collective intelligence before, during and after global and local crises, such as public health emergencies.

Manuel Gonzales Alzuru became sick with COVID-19 and is in the process of recovery. Armed with an obviously intimate perspective on the disease, Alzuur is also one of the most thoughtful individuals one might ever come across in this space. He repeatedly urges those he's in contact with to respect the fact that Fight Pandemics, a movement now in the hundreds, is about people coming together to confront COVID-19 and that he is not interested in anything even slightly smacking of egoism.

FightPandemics was created to make it easier for communities to connect in times of crisis. We believe that by enabling people to more effectively coordinate response and recovery efforts, we can better prepare society for future emergencies. We are here to aggregate collective intelligence before, during and after global and local crises, such as public health emergencies -Manuel Gonzales Alzuru

In an age when the self-interested and thoughtless still manage to bungle their way around (my thanks to our Coalition Partner Mike Grandinetti), Alzuru and the FightPandemics community are a cut above the rest: open-source, much like COVID-19 Safe Paths, to the core. The video, which can be viewed below, offers a top-level understanding of the organization. The projects being developed, the talent being recruited, and the ultimate aim of the initiative are worth paying attention to.

The Wisdom of Medicine, the Medicine of Wisdom: Youtube Entertainer and Educator Provides COVID-19 Content

In another life, my dream was to be a doctor. To wear the white coat, confidently walking the halls of the hospital and with a singular purpose in mind: To do everything I could in the practice of medicine to produce positive outcomes for my patients.

This dream was lost to the sands of time and circumstance, but my love of medicine remains - an ever-present memory-companion, and content creators like Dr.Bernard otherwise known as ChubbyEmu help to feed the appetite for knowledge. There's something else however, indeed, the primary reason why this Youtube Channel made it to the Roundup.

Behold the following:

From the earliest days...

Two case files showcasing the awful power and potential of disinformation, misinformation, and outright toxicity.

In this video, Dr.Bernard describes the case of a patient who drank an entire bottle of nutmeg spice mixed into a protein shake. He did this while at home in an attempt to treat his boredom and achieve a level of viral online stardom through partaking in "challenges". What happened to "GG" serves as a cautionary tale but also offers perspective on what's going on during this time of social distancing.

While I'll certainly allow the materials to speak for themselves, I'd also like to encourage my readers to do as Dr.Bernard would undoubtedly advise:

In the pursuit of your own welfare, as well as that of others, I implore you to protect yourself not just by wearing masks, but by wearing a layer of self-awareness and skepticism which immunizes you against the BS of intelligence which is unreliable, disreputable, and lacking in scientific and medical evidence and supportive credibility.

Validate, Verify, Curate.

Learning Opportunities From Afar: India's State of Kerala's Story

In an article published by MIT Technology Review, Sonia Faleiro weaved together a compelling narrative about steps being taken and actions performed in India's Kerala State to address and deal with the impact of COVID-19. Telling the story of Pathanamthitta civil servant Nooh Pullichalil Bava (P.B Nooh for short) from the town of Ranni, the article provides an up-close and deeply fascinating account of how Kerala and the Indian state as a whole continue efforts to combat the pandemic.

"In 2018, when a flood swept through the district and left more than two dozen people dead and 20,000 houses damaged, he had led relief efforts, and got no more than two or three hours of sleep at night. Admirers started a Facebook fan page called Nooh Bro’s Ark. The experience taught him not just how to manage people in a crisis, but also how to read them." -Sonia Faleiro, What The World Can Learn From Kerala On How To Fight COVID-19, Photo Credit: India Spend/Shreehari Paliath

Another shining example of leadership in crisis can be found in Kerala's Health Minister KK Shailaja who has garnered the nickname "The Corona Virus Slayer". Shailaja rose to the occasion when her people were in need and took steps to ensure public health and welfare, even amid the rising tide of uncertainty, confusion and frustration felt throughout the world.

Faleiro reports: "Shailaja had ordered Kerala’s four international airports to start screening passengers in January. All those with symptoms were taken to a government facility, where they were tested and isolated; their samples were flown to the National Institute of Virology 700 miles away. By February, she had a 24-member state response team coordinating with the police and public officials across Kerala." All this was done by Shailaja while India along with other countries such as the U.K and US were still not in full attack-mode in terms of stringency measures.

While I certainly encourage my readers to read the rest of the article at their own pace, I'd be remiss not to share a final special extract:

One Saturday in March, Nooh took a long drive to Konni, a town on the edge of a forest that is famous for elephants. One part of the forest is inhabited by an indigenous community of 37 families, separated from the town by a river. There was no bridge, and Nooh had heard that relief supplies hadn’t gotten there. At the water’s edge, he rolled up his sharp blue trousers and hoisted a jute sack full of provisions over his shoulder. It weighed about 35 pounds (16 kilograms). This wasn’t his job, but he wanted to send a message. “In an unprecedented situation, everyone must contribute,” he said. 

Twenty-three days earlier, Nooh had been faced with the “biggest ever challenge” of his career. Now, despite being severely overworked, he saw an opportunity. “As a society, we’ve never faced such a situation,” he said. “Let’s see what we can do.”

Outstanding. See you for the next Round-Up. Don't forget to support your Heartfelt if you can, and gather around the Homespun's warmth. Be well my friends.

The Heartfelt and The Homespun: