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how bad or the corona virus outbreak gap
what happens when a new virus hits us
and there isn't a vaccination yet it's
what we all like to know and these
curves may offer the answer this is what
a rapidly spreading global pandemic
looks like a lot of people get sick
quickly with the peak showing a massive
number infected at the same time a
slower spreading global pandemic looks
like this the rate of new cases is
slower and they're spread out over a
longer period of time in both cases the
number of people infected is the same
the reason we need to aim for the orange
curve is in the dotted line this
represents the capacity of our
healthcare system the number of beds
doctors ventilators and everything else
if this capacity is overwhelmed it could
be that your grandma your best friend's
dad or any other vulnerable person
doesn't get medical treatment and might
die we have to flatten that curve and
experts advise us to do this by social
distancing this means we need to
minimize contact with people even if it
feels cruel to stay away from your
friends and loved ones or to separate
your kids from their grandparents skip
social gatherings even if you've been
looking forward to that football match
or concert for months or you have the
feeling that the next party could be a
once-in-a-lifetime chance to find your
future partner avoid public
transportation and cancel travel plans
even if this means giving up on a long
planned holiday or an important business
trip set up your home office if possible
even if it seems hard to mix your family
and work life and to lose that regular
change of scene
simply stay at home because in the end
this is what will save lives these
simulations show how if everyone acted
like there was no disease the virus
could spread at an unlimited speed but
if three-quarters of our population
practice social distancing the virus
would need much more time to jump from
one person to another and if we practice
social distancing of an extensive kind
and only one in every eight people is
moving around this does flatten the
curve the good news is every single one
of us can make a difference the not so
good news is social distancing is a
challenge for our mental health so first
of all if you feel stressed depressed or
anxious don't judge yourself these are
all valid emotions at a time like this
and from an evolutionary point of view
anxiety is good it helps us to prepare
ourselves and be alert don't overload
yourself with information get the facts
not the rumors find your reliable news
source and only check it once or twice a
day this will give you a sense of
certainty stay connected and maintain
your social networks because social
distancing doesn't mean emotional
distancing call your loved ones
FaceTime your grandparents have an
online coffee break with your best
friend or go online for dinner
face-to-face communication is important
for us even as babies we read our
parents facial expressions seeing one
other creates a feeling of community and
gives every call more emotional weight
stick to your daily routine or create a
new one get up at the same time you used
to and get out of here pajamas take
breaks regularly and set yourself some
milestones during your day routines
provide a sense of familiarity and
structure and structure provides
direction in your life which is really
helpful when everything around you is
changing be good to yourself pay
attention to your own needs eat healthy
food give your body a workout get fresh
air and keep up a regular sleeping
routine this will keep your immune
system strong don't use smoking alcohol
or other drugs to deal with your
emotions because in the long term they
won't help you instead try to express
your feelings maybe to someone who is
well schooled in this be supportive of
others assist vulnerable people shop
local be nice to those who are working
in public health supermarkets or schools
you can help yourself by helping others
and if you still have time to spare
declutter do a puzzle tackle your
bookkeeping start a new hobby do
whatever you want but always embrace
distractions
because the most honest reply to when
will this be over is simply it depends
it's not going to be over anytime soon a
matter of months rather than weeks but
remember you're not alone with social
distancing you're doing a great service
to our society you're saving lives so
let's get through this and flatten the
curve together live your life just make
some changes
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