Are we living in the day of Apocalypse? It sure feels like it from the West Coast anyway. It's gone from bad to worse and the light at the end of the tunnel seems farther and farther away. The good news is, if we are smarter and fast enough we can stop it.

1. The Scary Truth
Possible New Lockdowns!
The Case of New Lockdowns According to Harvard Medical Experts.
Photo Credit: Silent Hill is a 2006 psychological horror film directed by Christophe Gans and written by Roger Avary, Gans,
and Nicolas Boukhrief.
A​re we in a real-life science fiction movie? Wildfires destroying our
land and air quality, more and more black lives being killed, and a
deadly virus killing our weak. What’s our future looking like? Because
of the consistent spread of COVID-19 Harvard experts say, let's
consider Smarter, more targeted lockdown strategies, with the
effective use of data and demographics, and what strategies to
implement ahead of a potential second-wave in the fall of 2020.

2. Winter brings other health concerns such as COPD, Flu season,
crowded indoor areas where everyone’s in close proximity. Essential
workers are still of unprecedented concern.
Indoor areas need better ventilation, air needs to circulate to the
outside due to infectious particles that are aerosols, spreading the
pandemic.
PPE equipment with high filtration mask
Better data for tracing
Enforce what we already know, what works? Keep doing that.
It’s important to protect poor communities, implement rapid testing
such as at the door of essential jobs, testing at home. This worked with
Ebola and Zika Virus.

3.
Be Proactive and Less Reactive.
If you have to be right before you move you will never win over a
pandemic. - Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO
Proactive outreach means getting people who have underlying illnesses
and have health concerns. Many need to see a doctor in person.
Knowing your symptoms and getting care sooner than later. Have
access to a nurse's hotline​.
This is real COVID-19 is dangerous and the political agenda in our
country has clouded our judgment. Many people have been shamed for
doing what they know is right such as wearing a mask, staying 6 or
more feet apart, and social distancing. Many are counting on a vaccine,
in reality, Smallpox is the only disease eliminated from a vaccine.

4. COVID-19 will probably be around for a long time possibly at a lower
level.
Healthcare shouldn’t be political, fundamentally it is
political.
The downside of combating COVID-19is that there’s no command
control set up. We need coordinated leadership that will be held
accountable. Toxic political environments where leaders don’t or
hesitate to make bold moves. They need to do the hard things, make
hard decisions, and not be afraid to save lives. Clearer goals in driving
down transmissions. The big picture would look like leaders moving
better and faster.

5.
The results of proactive decisions should look like:
Isolation options outside of the home for at-risk and infected persons.
Individuals working in high-risk areas need to have readily available eye
shields, N95 masks, hazard pay, alternative living housing, better
ventilation,.
For the public; Higher filtration masks, Rapid testing, Digital tracing,
Isolation guidelines, and stipulations for more than 6ft apart.
Victoria Lee is the NAACP Monterey County Health Committee Chair and
is a mother to three children, including one cancer warrior who is a
two-time brain tumor survivor. Currently, Victoria is the founder of
Vicky’s Art School for children that are socioeconomically disadvantaged
she’s also a peer-to-peer mentor at the Brain Tumor Foundation in Los
Angeles. 20 years of working with children who are affected with learning
disabilities utilizing the positive parenting model. Additionally, she is
certified in applied behavioral analysis (ABA), meditation, visualization
stress reduction technique, and also enjoys fundraising, organizing
community events, and painting. She lives in California and holds a
Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Child Development
along with several certifications from Harvard medical school.

6. Resource ​- Moderator: Ellen Long – Middleton, PhD, APRN, Family
Nurse Practitioner; Board Certified, Fellow; National Academy of
Practice; Lead Nurse Planner, Harvard Medical School, Postgraduate
Medical Education (PGME), Harvard Institutes of Medicine
Panelists: Abraar Karan, MD MPH DTM&H, Hiatt Residency in Global
Health Equity, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Ranvir Singh Dhillon, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Brigham & Women’s
Hospital, Harvard Medical School
RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY:
https://www.nejm.org/coronavirus
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/pages/coronavirus-alert
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronaviru
s-resource-center