Time to Create a New Normal!

Covid19 has us rethinking a lot of what we do and how we do it. But it’s too bad that we waited for this crisis to begin changing our behaviors. This year’s Flu season is not the worst ever, but it has been very serious. So far this flue season, over 17 million people have visited their healthcare professional due to the Flu and there have been 370,000 hospitalizations. It is estimated that between 30 and 40 million people in the US have been infected by the Flu and somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 people have died of the Flu. Yes, Covid19 is nasty and it is causing horrible conditions for many, many people, but each year the economic and health impact of the Flu is huge as well. If we would take what we’ve learned from Covid19 and apply to our daily lives next Flu season, think of the lives that would be saved, the hospitalizations that would be avoided, and days that would not be lost at work and school.

I’m a scientist by training, having a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry, and a Masters that concentrated on the Biological Sciences. This scientific training has me constantly looking for the supporting data and statistics for what we say and the decisions we make. When I look at the data for both Covid19 and the Flu, and when I listen to what researchers are discovering, I see the application of the Covid19 recommendations for every year’s Flu season. Research indicates that the Covid19 virus can be spread simply by breathing and talking to one another. We need to avoid close contact with others during this outbreak. Wearing a face-mask can reduce the chances that we share our virus with others and keep our distance will help as well. A mask may not keep me from getting it from the viruses I touch in my environment, but if I practice good, safe hygiene I may not get the virus, and a mask may keep me from being the “Typhoid Mary” of the next Flu season. And how about making sure we all get immunized if we can. Let’s all stay home when we get sick and if employers would demand that sick people stay home, plus provide ways for employees to continue to be productive but not in an environment that endangers others, think how that would help reduce the transmission of disease while maintaining a healthy economy. And washing our hands! My goodness, if we just washed our hands after coming in contact with any potential contaminant. Hand washing in public restrooms trigger a vision in anyone’s mind? I can’t believe the number of times I see men use the restroom and leave without washing their hands.

We can do this people. We can take these CDC/NIH recommendations and apply them to all disease situations. It’s not necessary that 30,000 to 60,000 people die of the Flu each year. If we emerge from this crisis and we don’t learn something important, shame on us. Let’s become better for the experience. Let’s not return to business as usual; let’s move up to a new normal. That’s what has happened after every major catastrophe in history. But sometimes that new normal has not moved as far as it could have. This time, I’m hoping that our new normal will include the behavioral changes that will help us not just protect ourselves and others for each flu season but also prepare us for the next pandemic. We can do this people! It’s up to us! We cannot rely on anyone else to do it. If each of us would adopt the simple saying, “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me!” What a wonderful New Normal we can have.