I’m writing this in mid-March 2020 from Seattle, one of the United States’ COVID-19 hot zones. It’s only been about two weeks since the first death was reported in Seattle, but so much has changed since then. Abiding recommendations that we try to limit social interactions and reduce the likelihood of a bulge in cases, social distancing plans have been put in place throughout the state. Colleges have cancelled in-person classes and students will finish the next two or more weeks online; some have closed for the rest of the year, leaving seniors without the closure of a graduation ceremony. Our governor has shuttered private and public K-12 schools in three counties for the next six weeks, leaving workers with children struggling to find childcare. Domestic and international travel has been constrained in numerous ways. The stock market suffered its worse downturn in more than three decades. Bars and restaurants have been closed. The situation is changing daily, and what I’m writing will already be out of date by the time you read it. It’s likely the outbreak will be widespread in the United States, but at this moment, people are still hoping to minimize the damage to the economy and the health of our population. The declining new case numbers in China give hope that public health measures can be successful, but only time will tell whether our interventions have come in time.
Looking ahead, I am hopeful that the rest of 2020 improves and that we can hold our annual meeting in December. ASH continues to monitor the situation and will prioritize the health of our volunteers, staff, and meeting attendees, recognizing that health care providers have a special responsibility to keep themselves healthy in order to provide care to others and avoid becoming vectors for transmission.
As events have unfolded, I’ve been feeling uncomfortably reactive. Probably like most of you, when changes and restrictions are announced, I’ve found myself saying, “I should have thought of that.” I believe that the next few weeks are critical to making sure we’re as prepared as possible. In my role as ASH President, I am committed to the Society doing whatever it can to help our field be proactive and prepared in the face of one of the more frightening challenges in modern times.
ASH has developed a mechanism to help share useful information about the novel coronavirus with hematologists. This is not the forum to review all that our medical teams have done to prepare for and battle this illness, but it is a way to crowdsource materials and tips on caring for our patients and for one another. It’s a start, and it can be expanded to address members’ needs so let us know what is helpful. If you’ve seen something really useful, please pass it along to us via a form on ASH’s COVID-19 webpage (www.hematology.org/covid-19) for possible dissemination.
Stay healthy and safe, and let’s unite to help each other get through this.
