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CoVid-19 Updates 3/17

Calling this pandemic "Wuhan Virus" or "Chinese Virus" does nothing but further xenophobic attitudes, so I'll continue calling it CoVid19 (stylized like that for sciencey reasons that I either heard in a podcast or read in an Internet article). We're in this together, lads and lasses. Be respectful of one another, do your due diligence to limit your exposure as much as possible, for the love of your deity of choice don't hoard supplies that could prevent others from spreading this virus, and understand that our uniquely American tenacity means that we will pull through this. One of the things that made our country great was the ability to work together and compromise to overcome great odds. It's in direct conflict of our 21st century "fuck you, I've got mine" attitude, but it is in our best interest to work together as one nation and one world to defeat this disease. Anyway, enough of that soapboxing.

 On Sunday, March 15, Holland Hospital reported its first case of CoVid-19, per the Holland Sentinel: https://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/20200315/holland-hospital-patient-tests-positive-for-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR0evYuLucGNO7nSKSJnyqofhX0lOHJECpskd2aVPW33LLwd5GpZ2sSvJwc The concerning thing with this infection (at least according to this blogger) is that the patient was not a world traveller, and this seems to imply that there are other infections in the community, at least asymptomatically. If we take the CDC's advice on a 10-15 day incubation period (without showing symptoms), that's a lot of people potentially exposed.

 On Monday, March 16, the 91st annual Tulip Time festival was cancelled this year: https://www.woodtv.com/health/coronavirus/tulip-time-canceled-over-coronavirus-concerns/This will have rippling effects throughout the Downtown Holland area - I've held a few jobs in Downtown Holland, and Tulip Time was a huge boon to the balance sheets in every business there. The general idea, while it's a gross oversimplification, is that the week of Tulip Time brought in enough income to carry the business through Quarter 2 and Quarter 3 of the fiscal years. I'm afraid to see some of my favorite retailers in trouble.

 Also on Monday, Governor Whitmer signed an EO ordering dine-in restaurants and bars to close at 3pm. A lot of my favorites are doing take-out options, so it'll be nice to throw them a few bucks while they're down and out. Another EO was signed to extend unemployment benefits to those forcibly removed from employment by previous EO's, as well as extending existing claims by 6 more weeks. That's certainly made my unemployment journey interesting. I can't log on and do my own due diligence because the server is overwhelmed by new traffic.

 Today, Tuesday the 17th, Holland Hospital issued the following statement:
Effective Tue, Mar 17, many locations and services will be suspended through Sat, Apr 4: All support groups and classes including childbirth education and CPR/ACLS/BLS certification courses are suspended. Behavioral Health (Outpatient) remains OPEN for scheduled appointments. Cardiac/Pulmonary Rehab and Rehab Services (Outpatient) suspended at all locations. Endoscopy: services and procedures suspended. Laboratory: OPEN at 854 Washington Ave, Lakewood Family Medicine and Douglas locations ONLY. Mammography: screening appointments suspended at all locations. Breast Care Services at 844 Washington Ave remains open for diagnostic procedures only. Radiology: OPEN at Lakeshore Medical Campus. All others locations suspended. Sleep Center sleep lab services are suspended. Urgent Care in Holland at the Lakeshore Medical Campus remains OPEN. Urgent Care, Lab and Radiology at the Holland Hospital Medical Building in Zeeland are SUSPENDED. The physician offices at this location remain OPEN. Wound Care and Infusion Services remain OPEN. We are confident in our staff’s ability, training and preparation to provide care for all patients at Holland Hospital. We are here to support our community and staff. The situation is changing rapidly. Please check for updates and a complete list of suspended services at hollandhospital.org/covid19.
More information can be found here: https://www.hollandhospital.org/hh/coronavirus.aspx
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