Update March 13, 2020: Newborn believed to be youngest coronavirus patient in the UK To further prove my point, the mother was taken days before giving birth with a case of pneumonia.
I generally hate to express strong opinion pieces on our company blog, but I thought it's necessary because my wife and my mom were just listed as most at risk of "serious Covad-19" by the Center for Disease control. The list included underlying conditions that are of no surprise, such as asthma, which my 69 mom has and was hospitalized in 2019 due to simple air pollution. But, what I'm hoping is the real game changer is that the CDC lists "Currently and recent pregnancy in the last two weeks"
The link to the CDC Bulletin is here and the full list is at the bottom in Appendix A. So, even if you don't care if grandma or grandpa or your aging parent is going to battle something like pneumonia, then hopefully people will care about their pregnant wife and their unborn child going through something like that.
My mom was lucky enough not to have pneumonia last year when she was admitted to the hospital twice, but even without it, she looked in frightening shape. I cannot imagine how bad it would have looked if she did have it. Now, imagine your wife who is already going through something physically demanding suffering from pneumonia, feeling like they cannot breathe, and needing to be hooked up to a ventilator.
I haven't discussed this, but Anne & I have been going through the IVF Process in the very busy city of San Francisco, California. Two hours after we transferred the embryo, I read the CDC Bulletin, which is practically buried with all the other coronavirus news. So, I went from worrying just about my mom getting sick to now my potentially pregnant wife and unborn child.
Anyway, that is my argument for why people should be taking the coronavirus way more serious than I've seen. People call the news "fear mongers," but I can tell you from my personal situation that I have literally everything to lose and for the most part is because of some weird lackadaisical attitude towards the coronavirus. Maybe it's a defense mechanism where people think coronavirus just exists on TV and not in real life, but this is really happening. I almost can't believe it's happening, but I cannot afford to pretend it's not happening and so I'm up-to-date on all information regarding COVID-19.
I think it's important to keep up-to-date, as well as managing the stress of the situation, which I'm trying to learn how to do, but it's a lot of information to process. I believe it's true that preparation is the only thing that makes you feel like you have some control of a seemingly uncontrollable situation.
OK, to all those who are in risk of serious COVID-19 or have family members, which should be many people, stay safe and healthy. Good luck.
Underlying medical conditions that may increase the risk of serious COVID-19 for individuals of any age.
•Current or recent pregnancy in the last two weeks
•Blood disorders (e.g., sickle cell disease or on blood thinners)
•Chronic kidney disease as defined by your doctor. Patient has been toldto avoid or reduce the dose of medications because kidney disease, or isunder treatment for kidney disease, including receiving dialysis
•Chronic liver disease as defined by your doctor. (e.g., cirrhosis, chronichepatitis) Patient has been told to avoid or reduce the dose ofmedications because liver disease or is under treatment for liverdisease. 6
•Compromised immune system (immunosuppression) (e.g., seeing adoctor for cancer and treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation,received an organ or bone marrow transplant, taking high doses ofcorticosteroids or other immunosuppressant medications, HIV or AIDS)
•Endocrine disorders (e.g., diabetes mellitus)
•Metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders andmitochondrial disorders)
•Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failureand coronary artery disease)
•Lung disease including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease (chronic bronchitis or emphysema) or other chronic conditionsassociated with impaired lung function or that require home oxygen
•Neurological and neurologic and neurodevelopmentconditions [including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheralnerve, and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy (seizure disorders),stroke, intellectual disability, moderate to severe developmental delay,muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord inju
