Real Talk: COVID-19 Edition. What you REALLY need to know (as of 3/24/20!)

Our host, Alicia Mikolaycik Kurtz MD, breaks through the static out there and shares some practical advice about COVID-19 and what you need to do to keep yourself and your family safe.

Show Notes

In this episode, we share some pretty specific advice – valid as of 3/24/2020 only, as this pandemic and what we know about COVID19 is changing and evolving every day!! But the general principles hold true.

1. Be informed, and get your information from accurate sources. This means, unfortunately, not the president or other politicians (who have asserted inaccurate and misleading statements many times over the recent weeks on national TV), random blogs, non medical influencers, or most things you see on Social Media. You should be extremely selective of where you get your information. Accurate sources include:

• Center for Disease Control – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
• American College of Emergency Physicians – https://www.acep.org/corona/COVID-19/
• World Health Organization – https://www.who.int/

2. Don’t play medical doctor for yourself or others unless you are one. This includes (1) do not attempt to read medical literature and apply it without training on how to do that (watch the video / listen to the episode for more details!), and (2) do notbuy and take medications or supplements that you heard or read may help prevent or treat COVID-19. So far, there is no proven cure or preventative medication and if you take these medications, you can go blind and experience other horrible side effects. Only take medications prescribed by your healthcare provider.

3. What can you do? Take Social/Physical Distancing Seriously. Wash your hands. And stop buying ALL THE THINGS at the store. The coronavirus is not a threat to our food, water, and toilet paper supply; the only threat to these items is people buying more than they normally do.

• Beautiful description of why we must socially distance from Dr. Emily Landon: https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/emily-landon-speaks-about-covid-19-at-illinois-governors-press-conference
• Wash your hands for a full 20 seconds with Gloria Gaynor – you will survive! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvqP5NRXf8g

4. Stay calm, but take this seriously. ESPECIALLY if you work in healthcare! Most people will be fine, even if they get infected, but we all have to do our part – especially healthy people! – to protect our communities from serious illness and rapid spread of disease. Healthcare workers, be sure you are using Personal Protective Equipment appropriately, and hold others accountable when they overuse. The supply is running dangerously low and we must be stewards of our PPE and prioritize provider safety, too!

• CDC guidelines for PPE shortage: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/index.html
• Proper PPE donning/doffing for healthcare workers (start about 5 min in): https://youtu.be/bG6zISnenPg?t=306

5. Thank a healthcare worker. Love on your loved ones. And subscribe to the RealTalk podcast!!! Now is the perfect time to binge listen to our show to get a better understanding of what it's really like for healthcare workers on the front lines of medicine.


To connect with the Real Talk Podcast or record your story with us, head to https://realtalk.transistor.fm/
Intro music: "Honey and Milk" by The 126ers

What is Real Talk Podcast?

Real Talk is a podcast based on an in-person program where doctors, APs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals share stories about their real, human experiences working in medicine. It's vulnerability and joy in medicine at its best.