Spotlight: COVID-19 & what this mama is doing to prepare
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Today the CDC confirmed what may be the first case of community spread of COVID-19 in the US, in northern California. Since I’m living in San Diego where there are a significant number of people who travel regularly to and from China, I’ve been on my toes for a few weeks. Now, I’m really paying attention.
Source: Chinese Centre for Disease Control
I’m reassured by the data that so far shows mortality rates are low compared with the two most recent well known coronavirus outbreaks (SARS and MERS), and are even lower for young children (see graph). And while I wasn’t sure I trusted the data coming out of China, it’s now looking like Italy is experiencing a similarly low mortality rate. So is South Korea. (Iran is an outlier, but let’s set that aside for now given some political complexities that may affect reporting accuracy.
All that being said, it’s still a much higher mortality rate than the flu, and there’s a lot we still don’t know. As a mom facing this situation, there’s a balance. I want to keep my family safe, but I also don’t want to overreact or panic. So what’s the “right” course of action? There’s a whole spectrum, and I don’t think there’s a single right approach since everyone’s situation is different. But after much research and reflection here’s a list of things I’ve decided to do to prepare.
1. Think through what I would need if anyone in my family were to get sick, and make sure I have those things on hand ahead of time.
I’m not going to go out and stockpile a year’s worth of food, but I am going to make sure I have enough infant and children’s Tylenol, ibuprofen, cough syrup, baby formula, water, and a working thermometer. If and when there’s local transmission and the community does panic, these things may be hard to come by. By purchasing them now, before there’s an issue, I’m also giving stores time to restock so there’s even more available. If everyone buys at once, no one has enough. If some of us plan in advance, the whole supply chain has more time to react.
2. Evaluate my current habits regarding germs and get a little less relaxed.
Just ask my husband – I’m probably one of the most relaxed parents when it comes to germs. Roll in dirt! Chew on your shoes! Eat it, it’s the five-second-rule! (Ok, maybe more like the 30-second-rule, or the if-you-dropped-it-on-the-floor-sometime-today-its-probably-ok rule…). Yup. My philosophy is: germs make you stronger. Because they do! But not all germs are created equal. So now I’m getting stricter with C&M about hand sanitizer, washing hands before eating, and not touching things out in public that lots of people touch, like the crosswalk button. Getting them not to touch their face is maybe hopeless, but we’re working on it.
3. Be prepared to alter travel plans based on what’s going on in the world.
Near term travel: we have a trip planned to Mexico in about a week. Mexico is still off the map for COVID-19, but if that changes while we’re there my husband and I will want to have a plan for what we do. Do we fly home early? What extra things do we need to pack, just in case there is a problem? Do we need any special kind of travel insurance?
Long term travel: we were planning a trip to Europe in August but hadn’t booked anything or purchased tickets. We’ve decided to press pause on this trip to give us more time to see how things unfold. We are also starting to brainstorm some local vacation options, in case Europe doesn’t seem like a good idea. For a great, up-to-date resource on travel+kids+COVID-19, check out Bébé Voyage.
Cruise ship travel: Nope. (Personal preference, but also at the recommendation of the CDC).
4. Decide if or when we pull our kids out of childcare.
Anyone with kids in day-care knows: it’s germ central. Since our kids are only in childcare three hours a day and are home with our nanny the rest of the time, we are lucky to have more flexibility than families who have kids in day-care full time. If there starts to be community spread locally in San Diego, we will likely eliminate the three hours of day care, and just have the kids stay home.
5. Determine what other essentials we would need to self-quarantine for a few weeks.
If the local situation gets critical, self-quarantine might be the best way to stay healthy. What would that mean? We’d need enough vitamins (talk to your pediatrician if you’re thinking of getting them for your kiddos), prescription medications, and non-perishable goods to sustain us without having to make trips to the grocery or drug store, where transmission would be much more likely. We already keep our cupboards pretty stocked (I think this is a unavoidable side-effect of shopping at Costco as a family) but I’m getting an extra month or two of vitamins and prescription medications to have on hand.
6. Proactively boost immunity.
For kids: enough sleep and a healthy diet are two of the best ways to support immune health. Trouble getting your kid to eat the rainbow? Try this tip for veggie success. How much sleep is enough sleep? From the American Academy of Sleep Medicine:
Infants 4-12 months: 12 to 16 hours (including naps)
Toddlers 1-2 years: 11 to 14 hours (including naps)
Preschoolers 3-5 years: 10 to 13 hours (including naps)
Grade school-aged children 6-12: 9 to 12 hours
Teens 13-18: 8 to 10 hours
For us mamas: in addition to a healthy diet and enough sleep, exercise and reducing stress also help to boost immunity. Yeah, I know. Not always easy as a mama, but now I’m even more focused on taking extraordinarily good care of myself.
7. Stay informed, but not obsessively so.
I’ll read the latest new each day, but I won’t get sucked into the rabbit hole of speculation and fear-mongering. I want to know what’s going on right now, what the people I trust are saying is likely to happen soon, and that’s good for me.
I believe that thinking through all of this stuff now, when things are still calm, will allow my husband and I to make better, more informed, and less emotionally driven decisions. It also gives us the mental space to think of things that we might not have thought of otherwise. We can’t predict what will happen, but we can take steps to keep our little ones (and ourselves) safe and healthy, and we can decide what level of risk we’re comfortable with.