“We’re going to need a bigger boat”

QUICK READ: Dr. Cleavon Gilman had seen the news footage of the crowds on the beaches in Florida and California. Some unfortunates infected by such selfish carelessness in the sun are sure to end up in an ambulance and a hospital, where health-care workers will struggle, and too often fail, to save them-while endangering themselves. This as states start to relax restrictions.

President Trump sought to reassure Americans that it is safe for states to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, offering support to protesters who have railed against the lockdowns across the country.

“I really believe that you can go to parks, you can go to beaches . . . [if] you stay away a certain amount,” Trump said during a Fox News Channel town hall at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

New data from the University of Pennsylvania suggests that relaxing lockdowns across U.S. cities and states could have serious consequences for the country’s battle to contain the coronavirus, which has infected over a million people while killing more than 66,000 people.

According to the Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM), reopening states will result in an additional 233,000 deaths from the virus — even if states don’t reopen at all and with social distancing rules in place. This means that if the states were to reopen, 350,000 people in total would die from coronavirus by the end of June, the study found.

It’s going to take two weeks or longer to determine what the outcome is of reopening certain states. My guess is that it’s going to be bad, really bad. Once social distancing is relaxed, COVID-19 will again spread with explosive speed.

The good news is that Americans are deeply wary of reopening. About half of the states have eased restrictions on businesses, but Americans’ unease about patronizing them represents a major hurdle to restarting the economy. Many Americans have been making trips to grocery stores and 56 percent say they are comfortable doing so. But 67 percent say they would be uncomfortable shopping at a retail clothing store, and 78 percent would be uncomfortable eating at a sit-down restaurant. People in states with looser restrictions report similar levels of discomfort as those in states with stricter rules.

The reckless reopening of states is going to cost us all. Experts are now saying, even with the reopening, the economy is going to remain in recession. So why open the states? Simple..Trump believes that reopening the states will help his re-election.

Pharma, insurers and HCP’s can not afford to be silent. Every pharma website should have a callout warning people to practice social distancing and wear masks. Every insurer should be sending communications to their customers to stay inside whenever possible and HCP’s should tell patients to practice safe behaviors.

In 2–3 weeks we’re going to need a lot bigger boat.

Originally published at https://worldofdtcmarketing.com on May 6, 2020.