Please read! [From Queens Dr. re: social distancing]

amother

Fri, May 08 2020, 11:14 am

This is Ellie Bennett, your neighborhood doctor. (May 7, 2020)

I’m not a politician. I am not a government official. I’m not a Rabbi. I have no sway on when the economy (or shuls) reopen. My one and ONLY concern is the safety of my family, friends and neighbors.

Initial predictions were over a hundred thousand deaths. I truly believe that would have been a reality if not for the social distancing that people have adopted and adhered to.

I do believe we have turned a corner here in New York. Hospital admissions are down. And the number of deaths are declining each day. Let us pray that continues.

I wish I could unsee many events from the last few weeks. I’ve watched 30 year old’s come to my ER and die within hours. I have said viduy (confession) with virtual strangers and watched them struggle with their last breath – all alone with nobody at the bedside other than myself and the nurse.

I’ve witnessed friends and neighbors die, while helplessly looking on. We have buried the best of the best of our community, including my Rebbe, Rabbi Leibel Katz, Rabbi Matis Blum, Dr. Eli Landau and so many other wonderful people.

I’ve had episodes of uncontrollable sobbing – enough times that my family and office staff were worried that I was having an emotional breakdown.

I’ve also seen amazing things. Communities have come together to arrange food deliveries for people unable to get out. We’ve gotten oxygen to those sickest of patients and allowed them to stay home- and survive. Hatzalah, Shomrim, Amudim and other organizations have stepped up and met the challenge head on. I’m privileged to be part of the medical community that has persevered, despite emotional and physical hurdles.

But over the last week I’ve seen people become complacent.

People that have been so amazing are almost justifiably tired of quarantine, and becoming lax.

This past weekend I witnessed families getting together for barbecues and kids playing outside together. Porch minyamin are cropping up. Scores of people in the grocery stores not following the accepted social distancing guidelines.

This is astonishing to me. We CANNOT have such short memories.

We cannot forget those who have perished in this plague- nor the critical steps we all took that have prevented scores of others from the very same fate.

The government WILL reopen our economy. It must happen for other aspects of our lives to continue. The arguments for and against is not the purpose of me writing to you to today.

We can and we must continue social distancing until the infectious disease experts we all relied upon tell us the time has come to stop.

The only way we are going to safely get our lives back to some semblance of normalcy is for people to follow the rules. Social distancing CAN and MUST continue for the foreseeable future. Even more so when we reopen up our shuls. The very essence of our community is our closeness & social interactions. It makes us unique & special. But according to the experts that closeness is exactly why and how so many of our brothers & sisters got sick to begin with. We must stay vigilant & socially distance ourselves. Lives depend on it.

And what about those over 60 who so carefully isolated themselves and didn’t get sick. On the one hand, B”H they are healthy and well. On the other hand, because they never contracted the virus they presumably have no antibodies. (If that even confers immunity, as nobody is sure at this point)

This means that hundreds of our neighbors, friends, and parents don’t have any antibodies. They are exactly in the same vulnerable position they were 9 weeks ago and could contract the fatal Coronavirus in a split second. The wrong interaction. The supermarket. The subway. Even the park. Any random encounter could prove fatal.

We are not out of the woods yet. And if anything, we are possibly in a more dangerous time, because unlike before when everyone was terrified, people are prematurely letting down their guard.

Don’t become a statistic or a name on a Tehillim group.

Common sense and recent history guides us to continue our extreme vigilance.

This community has lost some if it’s most special people, haven’t we all cried enough?

Please be safe.Please be careful. I’m begging you.

Edward (Ellie) Bennett, MD

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

https://www.theyeshivaworld.co......html

bigsis144

Fri, May 08 2020, 11:36 am

amother

Green

Fri, May 08 2020, 11:40 am

Wow Bigsis exactly!

malki2

Fri, May 08 2020, 11:45 am

He is 100% correct, speaking as a doctor. But ultimately, those making the big decisions (I.e. the President) will need to take ALL factors into consideration, especially the irreversible damage to our economy and hence to the well-being of our society that will result from a prolonged lockdown.

amother

Burgundy

Fri, May 08 2020, 12:07 pm

Doctors only concerns are medical ones. They don't take into consideration mental health, economic health, child abuse, domestic abuse or any other of the myriad of things that are being absolutely devastated by the lock down.

youngishbear

Fri, May 08 2020, 12:10 pm

amother [ Burgundy ] wrote:

I do not envy the people in charge of these decisions, because they most certainly do consider all these factors. Their conclusions may not be the same as yours or mine, though.

amother

Pumpkin

Fri, May 08 2020, 12:12 pm

Is corona worse in NY now that in the peak of flu season?

Ora in town

Fri, May 08 2020, 12:14 pm

amother [ Pumpkin ] wrote:

Is corona worse in NY now that in the peak of flu season?

Yes.. don't you think so?

thriver

Fri, May 08 2020, 12:14 pm

Yes Bigsis. The epidemiologists say that they will know they have been successful when people start complaining that there’s no excuses for all the precautions...! DING DING! Because we have been taking precautions. That’s why things are getting better 😅

amother

Mistyrose

Fri, May 08 2020, 12:34 pm

I have seen exactly what the doctor says in Queens. I was at a grocery yesterday and the lines were so backed up at the store with cart to cart. No SD. They made sure to SD at the cashiers but no where else.

amother

Emerald

Fri, May 08 2020, 1:07 pm

OP,
Thank you so much for posting and sharing this.
It should be screamed from the rooftops.

BigSis, you graph is exactly what is/will happen.

Everyone, please be smart and safe.

PinkFridge

Fri, May 08 2020, 1:18 pm

Thanks OP.
Malki2, the thing about the economy is that people will still stay away if they're not comfortable. I believe I heard that's happening a lot in many early-opening states.

Amarante

Fri, May 08 2020, 2:55 pm

A 5-year-old has died of a mysterious illness linked to the coronavirus.

A 5-year-old died in New York City on Thursday from what appeared to be a rare syndrome linked to the coronavirus that causes life-threatening inflammation in children, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said.

It is believed to be the first known death in New York related to the mysterious new syndrome, which officials said began appearing in recent weeks.

Mr. Cuomo said Friday that 73 children in New York area had been reported afflicted with the illness, which doctors have labeled “pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.”

Mama Bear

Fri, May 08 2020, 3:03 pm

I just wanna know how things will be better in a week, two weeks, a month or two months?
At what point is it 'safe' to start opening up without a vaccine???
I dont see the difference between today, next week, or next month. The cases have pleateau'ed. Even if they keep flat or going down, won't there be a spike no matter when we get out? So til when do we wait??? I'm confused.

Amarante

Fri, May 08 2020, 3:14 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

I think at this point, there aren't enough safeguards in place for me to feel comfortable getting back to "normal". Those sources which I feel are to be trusted advise opening relatively slowly and to use precautions like masks and social distancing.

At this point there is only enough Remdesivir to treat 200,000 patients WORLDWIDE. This is the first medication which has been shown to have some degree of success in actual scientific tests. Every day they are learning new things - such as the possible benefits of blood thinners - as well as learning what might be potentially dangerous.

There are ways to make work places safer but at this point there aren't enough tests - businesses aren't being required to open with specific guidelines etc.

Obviously when people start mingling more there will be cases as people come into contact with others. Personally I am glad to live in a city (Los Angeles) where restrictions are being eased in a rational way in which medical advice is being followed - e.g. low risk businesses can open with curbside pickup today.

amother

Pumpkin

Fri, May 08 2020, 3:29 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

I'm confused.

The real problem is, that the politicians, doctors and scientists are just as confused. We're pretty much doomed at this point.

amother

Fri, May 08 2020, 3:48 pm

amother [ Pumpkin ] wrote:

The real problem is, that the politicians, doctors and scientists are just as confused. We're pretty much doomed at this point.

The doctors treating COVID patients are not confused. They see exactly what is happening. The yentas who want to get their nails done already are confused. As are the people who think the Dow Jones is life.

southernbubby

Fri, May 08 2020, 3:51 pm

amother [ Pumpkin ] wrote:

The real problem is, that the politicians, doctors and scientists are just as confused. We're pretty much doomed at this point.

Everyone knows that it's contagious and can be serious or deadly or can be completely asymptomatic so there is no confusion there.
We also know that the economy will fail if business can't happen so there is no confusion there.

What we are trying to accomplish is meshing those two non-confusing facts without killing thousands of people. We know that in going to work, there is a strong chance that people will die. There is no confusion there.

What we don't know is how the public will react to re-opening so there is confusion there. Will they bravely go back to the life that they had or will fear overshadow anything that could bring happiness and pleasure?

We also know that the public is divided about the correct approach to take; either opening completely and letting nature take it's course or restricting freedoms in order to prevent the spread of the virus. I do see confusion there.

amother

Burgundy

Fri, May 08 2020, 3:51 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Actually they seem to be just as confused as everyone else. Vents work vs. vents do more harm than good. Masks vs. no masks. Neil Ferguson himself hasn't been SDing.
Pretty hard to live without an income so while Dow Jones isn't life, the health the economy is pretty important to a vast number of people.
But I'm happy for you that you're so fabulously wealthy that the economy doesn't matter to you.

amother

Fri, May 08 2020, 3:56 pm

amother [ Burgundy ] wrote:

Dr Bennett doesn’t seem confused at all about the need for social distancing. Neither do any other ICU, ER, and infectious disease physicians. Confusion about how to treat it properly stems from it being a NOVEL virus that has never infected humans before in history. As for being fabulously wealthy, I’m furloughed from my job and not being paid. I’m having it just as hard as everyone else. I apparently just appreciate money less than other precious things that aren’t replaceable. Further, he said the economy would be opening up, but that SD is still important. Things like maintaining distance, not letting your kids play with neighbors, and wearing masks. Did you read that part, or were you too busy thinking of your snarky retort regarding my finances?