Let’s talk about the Coronavirus
It’s on your mind and it’s definitely on ours, so let’s just talk about it…
We’re continuing to monitor the coronavirus (officially “Coronavirus Disease 2019” or “COVID-19”) situation very closely and I promise you that the safety of clients and our team is our PRIORITY. We know the media reports about the virus can be overwhelming so here is the official site for updates from the US Center for Disease Control & Prevention:US Center for Disease Control & Prevention.
In case you didn’t already know, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. The common cold is a type of infection caused by a coronavirus. The name coronavirus is derived from the Latin “corona” meaning crown, which refers to the characteristic appearance around the virus particles reminiscent of a crown when viewed under a microscope.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 80% of those infected with COVID-19 recover without need for any special treatment, experiencing no or only mild symptoms, similar to the common cold. For most people in most locations the risk of catching COVID-19 is very low, and the risk of catching it from someone with no symptoms at all is even lower.
Standard recommendations to prevent infection include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs, and avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. In other words, pretty standard stuff.
Currently, we are eight weeks into the outbreak of COVID-19. Studies on vaccines and anti-viral medicines are underway much faster than in past cases of virus outbreaks.
Globally, as of March 10th there are now an estimated 113,702 people infected and 4,102 killed by COVID-19, with most of those casualties being elderly or individuals with pre-existing conditions and weakened immune systems. Globally, the fatality rate from COVID-19 is estimated around 3%. In the United States, with a total population of more than 300,000,000 people, as of March 10th we now have a total of 647 cases of infection (.000002%) and 25 deaths (4%) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html.
The CDC estimates that this flu season, there have been more than 40,000 flu related deaths. On an annual basis the United States experiences on average: 36,560 deaths from car accidents, 34,000 deaths from slip & fall injuries at home and at work, more than 400 people die annually from falling out of bed, 255 deaths occur as a result of falling objects, 51 deaths result from lighting strikes and 27 deaths are related to elevator accidents.
THE POINT BEING your chance of dying from the latest coronavirus in the United States is LOWER THAN getting killed by lightning or having something fall on you. You have a BETTER CHANCE of dying from getting into an elevator, from driving to work, or from falling out of bed, than from contracting and then dying from the latest coronavirus. So no, we are not going to be putting our lives on hold until the “next big thing” becomes the new focus.
However, in an abundance of caution and to help protect all of us, we WILL be able to meet with clients and conduct business whenever possible by phone, Skype, and electronic document review. Additional sanitizing dispensers have been installed in our building and our offices.
Obviously, if you believe you have contracted the virus please seek urgent medical attention. If you are already at high-risk of health complications from viral infection, we strongly encourage you to follow the advice of your health care provider.
We care about YOU and YOUR health, and safety is our primary concern. Bottom line though, is that unless things change drastically, we are NOT planning to buy into the panic and obsession and we are NOT planning to change anything about our mission to PROTECT ADVOCATE and DEFEND.
Instead, we will take smart and logical precautions for your safety and ours. And we will continue on with life and business as normal. Because even when there isn’t something that has been manufactured into a crisis, we ALWAYS take smart and logical precautions for your safety, and ours.
