COVID-19 Update, September 11

Groceries, side effects, numbers, teachers and 9/11

1. Groceries are, on average, about 6% higher due to the pandemic. Meats and toilet paper are particularly hard hit according to the USDA. So, you aren’t imagining that your grocery bill is higher, it really is. Most of the increase is due to outbreaks among workers that have interrupted the food chain.

2. An emerging side effect of COVID seems to be losing your teeth. More and more patients are reporting the loss of perfectly healthy teeth when getting COVID.

3. Numbers for the country are down with 30 states reporting decreases. This is great news. The CFR is also now below 3 for the nation which is also great news; we just need to hold the line. Some states are still seeing increases, (primarily in Midwestern states), but again, overall, we are moving in the right direction. The CDC did report that dining-in at a restaurant seems to be a significant factor for catching COVID (about ½ of everyone who gets it had dined in a restaurant a couple of days prior). So, consider take-out or outdoor dining to reduce the risk. As a reminder, even if you are one of the ones who doesn’t get terribly ill from COVID, it can trigger the onset of other chronic illnesses such as diabetes and it would seem, in some people, COVID itself may become a chronic condition. And of course, a quick reminder that an estimated 40% of COVID cases are asymptomatic but are still able to spread the disease – in the past we called these “carriers” those who passed it along but didn’t get sick themselves.

4. At least 3 teachers in the US have died from COVID in recent weeks.

5. Current numbers reveal that at least 42 9/11 survivors have died from COVID-19. That number is most likely higher.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As the rain slides silently down the windowpane in my office I find myself staring out into the bleak gray world and feeling empty. My mind has been pre-occupied with memories of 9/11 – the cold, gray, rain streaking my windows seems appropriate, reflective of my mood, and the sadness of those memories. I am reminded of the passengers on those planes, the phone calls to loved ones, and incredible stories of courage and bravery amid unimaginable fear and tragedy. And I think of all the people who lost a loved one on that day; every year they grieve in a way the rest of us never will. But out of that tragedy, there was beauty and inspiration that rose above the ashes and rubble. People who survived against all odds, people who clung to strangers, not caring who they were, where they were from, the color of their skin, their political affiliation, or their religion. I am reminded of those who gave so much to save others and of those whose lives were lost. There are stories of heroism and sacrifice - stories of people giving their lives and their comfort for the sake of those around them, those who needed help, oftentimes strangers. I am reminded of the millions of small acts of kindness, of Americans offering each other a hand, showing compassion, and hoisting the flag up high for all the world to see that America had not been defeated. We wiped the dust from our faces, we helped each other up, we stood, proud, triumphant, shoulder to shoulder, united. Let’s be that version of America, at least for today.