It’s a nasty virus, COVID-19. But it is just a virus. The damn thing depends on a cell, in this case primarily a human cell, to live and reproduce and multiply. It’s killed by alcohol wipes and by soap and water and scrubbing our hands. Let’s make this a very hostile world for COVID19.
First, let’s cut off its human cell supply. Don’t any of us get around it and give it a new home. COVID-19 is not a pleasant house guest. Let’s make lots of masks and gowns and gloves so those of us who must care for our friends who have already let the little stinker in by mistake let COVID-19 know she is not welcome at our house.
We will stop smoking cigarettes or vaping to keep COVID-19 from having an easy road into pneumonia.
If COVID-19 tries to hitch a ride on a package coming to our house, we can bake her in the sun sitting outside for a couple of hours. That’ll show her how unwelcome she is. And just in case she tries to slip inside on our hands, we’ll wash her off vigorously. We’ll even turn the box over so the sun will bake her sisters on the other side.
We just had a plastic grocery bag with some frozen ground beef brought by a neighbor. We kept our distance and had an important conversation. The plastic bag stayed in one hand and went straight into the chest freezer, opened by the other hand. Now that’s a COLD reception. COVID-19 would not live over three days on the plastic anyway; there is no food for her there outside a cell, and she really will have a short life in the freezer. And I washed my hands.
Earlier I talked with a dentist friend in Charlotte who had no locums practice income now. He and his wife stay inside the house as they are fragile, elderly. They give no hospitality to COVID-19. Their daughter lives with them and goes out daily to her accounting work, but she is very unfriendly to COVID-19. She keeps a six-to-eight-foot distance so COVID-19 can’t hitch a ride on the breath of her clients to ride in on hers and hook up with her cells in mouth, eyes, lungs, and nose to carry home to Mom and Dad. COVID-19 is kinda overweight — .7-.9 microns — and can’t travel far without falling. She can’t jump at all. My cousin in New Orleans was glad to hear that; she offered to let a displaced friend store some boxes in her garage and was glad to know that they could sit there a while and not attack her.
I talked to the Charlotte Country Club where my dentist friend recently relinquished his membership. A country club’s reason for being is social gatherings, so I was worried that our antisocial behavior with nasty COVID-19 might have put them out of business. Michelle told me they were still having foursomes play golf, but no riding carts! Carrying your own clubs and walking the holes will make one a real golfer. They were doing take out, as are many restaurants, but no social gatherings or sit-down meals. COVID-19 will not be offered a membership, but the club may make my friend an honorary member. Talked with Lauren at the golf shop. We are being mean to COVID-19 by not having caddies, but we have learned to carefully clean pull carts and are starting to use them again. That will make for good exercise to help keep a strong immune system and keep the door closed to COVID-19.
Ward and Faust called me that my tax return was ready to file. She reminded me that it was curb service, and she would be wearing a mask and gloves. I should make a racket or call on the cell. She would come to the car to bring forms to sign and give me my copy of the tax return. We laughed that even in Siler City we are being unfriendly to COVID-19. I will take her check for her fee on the same exchange.
Meanwhile we attack COVID-19. Kill her with Clorox and wipe those door handles at the post office with an alcohol wipe. And kill her on the mail tables. Wipe the car door handles and the steering wheel. The Postal Service is attacking COVID19 by encouraging any employees with sickness to stay home; if COVID-19 has found a home in any of their cells they will not sneeze on the mail! They are keeping their distance in the mail room so as not to be hospitable to COVID-19 there.
She is a nasty bug and we won’t give her a home with any of us. Mostly we won’t sneeze or cough or blow her to a new person for a new home, and we won’t let her come in to us. I miss shaking hands or scratching my nose, but COVID-19 is not welcome. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face.
Dr. John Dykers is retired from a career in family practice in Siler City that lasted from 1964 to 2010. He is widely published in the medical literature and N.C. newspapers. He has published three books: “God Made Men Too,” “The Price Of Ebbs Is Down,” and “How To Be A Happy Former Smoker, Even If You Don’t Want To,” all available on Amazon. Details on Dykers.com.