#MASKUP: Do it for the Healthcare Workers

As of this writing (Nov 26), there are 11 million Americans infected with COVID19 and 245,000 dead. In the week before Thanksgiving, there were 1 million people who tested positive for COVID19. A staggering number. Some have said an unsustainable number. Our healthcare workers are at their limits. They have worked tirelessly for 9 months and are now openly asking for our help. You can read their open letter to the American people here.

The Nurses and Doctors of America Beseech Us to Do Three Things

1-Wear a Mask — in public places and anytime you’re around friends and family who do not live in your household. This means please wear a mask even with friends and family that you consider part of your “bubble” or “pod,” If you don’t live together #EVERYMASKUP

2-Social Distance – 6 feet away or more

3-Wash Hands Often

If you are gathering with friends and family outside of your immediate household, then do so outside, if you can, and if indoors open a window — ventilation is the enemy of an airborne virus. And most importantly please remember #EVERYMASKUP. Poor ventilation + no masks + a gathering of people equals the perfect recipe for community spread of the virus.

With the holiday season here, and COVID FATIGUE a very real state of mind for all us, the healthcare workers are bracing themselves for another influx of cases. There was a significant uptick in cases after each holiday we’ve had since the advent of the pandemic. The weeks after Memorial Day, July Fourth and Halloween all saw spikes in community spread. As you plan for the coming end-of-year holidays, if you can, postpone a gathering— or have it outdoors or via video-chat — do it for a healthcare worker.

Shortages of Healthy Caregivers

One stark difference between Nov/Dec 2020 and May/June 2020 are the sheer number of cases. Unlike the earlier time points, now almost every state in the nation is facing rising cases. Back in the spring and summer healthcare workers were migrating to other parts of the country to help where there were hotspots. The situation today is starkly different. With the healthcare needs spiking in every state, the system strains under the weight of the need. Healthcare leaders are deeply concerned that the burden from the additional cases post-Thanksgiving will out strip the number of healthy healthcare workers available to meet the demands.

As a community we need to take this in. Healthcare workers are a limited, precious resource—like gold or platinum. Once hospitalized, a patient with a serious case of COVID19 requires multiple highly skilled healthcare professionals. What this means is that in some communities where there are available ICU beds, they are not able to take any more patients because they don’t have the available healthcare workers to staff those beds.

A Call to Action from the Healthcare Workers of America

Our healthcare workers are asking for our help. We can do it!

CELEBRATE RESPONSIBLY – SAVE LIVES – #MASKUP

Please share these links with your family and friends. Let’s not let our healthcare workers down. https://www.everymaskup.com/

Memorial to American Healthcare Workers

Many healthcare workers have lost their lives in the fight against COVID-19. There is a memorial on Tweeter @FacesofCOVID that honors their sacrifice. Take a minute to follow and honor these American heroes.