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Coronavirus Update April 20th

April 20, 2020 Coronavirus Update

Knox county is keeping its COVID-19 numbers low.  We are currently at 194 cases with 4 deaths.  We are only up 79 cases and one death since my last post on April 7^th.   I am extremely happy with these numbers for Knox county.  On the other hand, New York city the epicenter of COVID-19, is still having difficulties.  It is hitting the city hard and overwhelming the hospitals and medical professionals.  I am hearing this not only through the news, but through friends in New York that are in the medical profession.

It seems like the spread of coronavirus is settling down and there are talks of opening the country back up.  There are several competing factors: the need to prevent death tolls from rising and to keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed, the need to mitigate the increase in anxiety and depression due to social isolation and economic fears, and the need to prevent economic devastation as a result of so many Americans not working.  Clearly, our country is divided in terms of the correct course of action as some protest the quarantine while other demand stricter restrictions.

At this point I don’t know what the right answer is for quarantining.  Were the low number of cases attributed to the collective doing an amazing job of physical distancing or is the virus not as deadly as we first thought?  As people begin to head to the beach and stop physical distancing the answers will become apparent. 

Regardless of the actions of others or of government decisions, I will continue with precautions.  As individuals, we can still employ practices to increase our safety and the safety of others.  I will continue to physical distance, wear a mask, and continue to wash my hands regularly.  This just makes common sense at this point.  If you need to work, be cautious and take care of yourself.  I am continuing to take my daily doses of vitamin C, Zinc, and a multivitamin.  I still recommend these steps.  I also encourage physical activity and interacting with people socially through zoom or other means of online communication.  This will help with anxiety, depression, and the feeling of being alone. 

I would like to express sincere gratitude to the medical professionals and food service workers who are keeping us healthy and suppling us with nutritious foods.  They continue to put their lives on the line in order to take care of our needs. 

Over the weekend I wrote another post that was tied more to my emotions and not as much to my logic.  I decided not to post it and to sit on it for a couple days.  If you would like to read that post just sign up for my newsletter at empoweredhealthtn.com.

Thank you

Heath Tunnell FNP

865-309-5616

Website – empoweredhealthtn.com    

Email – [email protected]