Doctors All Over The World Are Begging People To Stay Home During The Pandemic

To date, the COVID-19 pandemic has already affected over 160 countries, with over 350,000 confirmed cases worldwide. And in this battle, everyone has a part to play. There’s no doubt that frontline workers, particularly those in the healthcare sector, take on the most significant role. However, their efforts alone are simply not enough. As such, they repeatedly call on to the public to #StayHome in this time of crisis.

Perhaps it’s a well-known fact by now that the virus spreads mainly from person to person. Hence, this can be in the form of respiratory droplets that an infected person may produce through coughing or sneezing. As such, people who are in close contact with one another are highly susceptible to catching the virus. Also, it’s possible to contract the virus by touching a contaminated surface, then touching one’s eyes, nose, or mouth.

 

Staying at home is a little sacrifice that healthcare workers around the globe are asking of us

 

 

So, in addition to frequent handwashing, health organizations are constantly reminding the public to practice social distancing. And more importantly, they are strongly urging the public to just stay at their respective homes unless absolutely necessary. Most affected countries have also started imposing strict quarantine measures. In fact, some have even subjected themselves to total lockdown. Several companies have also encouraged their employees to work from home.

 

All these are efforts to help “flatten the curve” or slow down the infection rate of the disease

Dr. Leana Wen, an advocate of the Stay Home: Safe Lives movement, stressed the importance of staying home during these times.

“We are currently facing the biggest public health crisis of our lifetimes. But we are not powerless against the virus: there are things we can do. If we don’t change our behavior now, the disease will spread faster and our healthcare system will be overwhelmed. That would cause a lot more harm and a lot more deaths.”

In the midst of this pandemic, having an overwhelmed healthcare system is the last thing that we would want. Having such means putting the lives of frontline workers at more risk because infected patients would become difficult to treat. Moreover, other patients requiring intensive care, such as cancer patients, might also start to feel the effects. There wouldn’t be enough beds, supplies, and equipment to cater to newly infected patients. And worse, even healthcare workers might end up becoming patients themselves.

 

Through sharing their workplace stories and photos, they hope to encourage more people to simply #StayHome

 

 

 

Another healthcare worker stressed that staying at home is not a punishment but rather an act for the common good