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Good news! Dear Pandemic now has a podcast! It’s called I Have Questions. Find it wherever you get podcasts, or at https://anchor.fm/dearpandemic. For now, the podcast is weekly Q&A with follower questions and Dear Pandemic contributor answers. We’ll be adding longer-format interviews with other experts soon, so stay tuned. If you have a question, put Read more…

A: Weight changes can occur for a number of reasons. Covid-19 has triggered a multitude of opportunities to mess with your wardrobe and nutritional health. While some are experiencing the “Quarantine -15”, a fluctuation up or down of 15 pounds in your typical body weight, others are struggling with food insecurity. Here are a few Read more…

A: The current pandemic has tested the limits of our interconnected yet fragile food supply chain. As a result of this virus and its associated lockdowns, trade restrictions, and closed borders, we are seeing lots of changes. * Grocery store prices are increasing, especially for meat and eggs. Remember, people are eating many more of Read more…

A: We love the virtual choir videos, too! Super inspiring! And there’s a pretty straightforward method to their madness. Here’s how it works: Once the song has been selected for the virtual choir performance, someone makes a “reference track”. This is an audio recording with instrumental or vocal tracks for all the voice parts. It Read more…

A: Now more than ever, we need to prioritize our sleep. Sufficient restorative sleep improves physical health (including immune function), psychological well-being, and cognition. Here are some tips from the Sleep Research Society to help you sleep during a pandemic. Highlights include: * Wake up at the same time every day. * Get bright light Read more…

A: Bracingly, the IMF projects the deepest recession since the Great Depression — and urges countries to stay the course on social distancing to stop virus spread. This quote sums it up well: “There is no trade-off between saving lives and saving livelihoods,” the report states. Read more take-aways here. Link to original FB post

A: Things to consider when preparing advance care planning documents: 1) Who would you trust to enact your wishes on your behalf? 2) What matters to you? Time, people, hobbies, something else? 3) What type of medical interventions are acceptable to you and in what setting? HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR PEOPLE! Ensure your documents Read more…

A: (1) Help for state + local governments; (2) Help for businesses (including the health care sector); (3) Help for individuals. Oliver Wyman has produced tons of helpful summaries of financial and public health info related to the Coronavirus, available here. Link to original FB post

A: Responses differ by state, but common to all efforts is LOGISTICS support. This can include: Protecting and expanding supply chains; delivering food and health care equipment; repurposing buildings into temporary health care facilities; and providing back-up staffing support to health care facilities; and protecting public safety. Here’s a link to an interview with the Read more…

Terrific overview read, recapping a recent New York Academy of Sciences webinar. Some good news: “Over the next few days, we’re no longer going to see testing as the bottleneck that it was in the early phase,” she (Dr. Julie Gerberding, former head of CDC/current Merck exec) said. Some less good news: “It’s very important Read more…

Read Nerdy Girl Malia’s “What I Think About COVID-19 this morning” letter that got this all started.