“Adapt, Migrate, or Become Extinct” was a banner on the wall of my high school biology class. Mrs. Rudfeldt was one of my favorite teachers, and she was a fantastic inspiration – probably why I ended up studying to be a doctor. This rule was ingrained into me, and is so true. With Covid-19, we can’t migrate, as it is EVERYWHERE. I do not choose to become extinct. Therefore, I must adapt.
Being on lock-down means that all work is done from home, so there was some re-arranging to do. William is working remotely, and takes over the computer room during office hours on weekdays. (In the evenings he moves upstairs to his apartment to write his stories and plays up there, so we still don’t really see him anymore than we used to!) So, my office moved to the dining room.
My new office, during Covid-19 lock down. Our son is working remotely from the “computer room”, so I’ve moved into the dining room for the duration. It isn’t bad!
I’m close to the kitchen, which is great. I spend 3-4 hours/day on the computer, occupied with business meetings, webinars, keeping up with e-mails. When the world turns upside-down and we have to re-invent new ways to do things, there is much work to be done. My staff has been amazing, and we are working very hard to take care of each other and our patients. Last week, the office opened with lots of modifications and a reduced schedule. So far, things are going very well, but we will be on our toes for a long time, refining and looking for ways to improve operations. We are trying to keep the number of people in the office down, so Dr. Nancy is the only doctor in the office right now. Bill and I will be going back, gradually, over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, we have plenty of administrative work to do, from home.
I do not expect things to ever really go back to the way things were before this virus, because now our eyes have been opened to the possibility of more pandemics and we will (and should) remain on alert, indefinitely. However, until we have a vaccine and treatments available we have to be vigilant. For me, keeping track of what we are learning about Covid-19 and how it affects humans is almost a full-time job, right now. Lots of contradictions, and surprises in how it affects people, it is really hard to pin down. Just when we think we know something (kids are generally asymptomatic, diabetes, ethnicity, and age are significant factors) there are wild exceptions to every rule and we start over. It’s crazy.
So, ADAPT, people! Unless, of course, you want to become extinct….
