Dr. Andrew Daigle is S2L Recovery's Medical Director and has practiced medicine for over thirty years, primarily in trauma and emergency medicine as well as palliative care. Dr. Daigle is also serving on the front lines of this COVID-19 pandemic in Hospital Emergency Departments in multiple counties. S2L is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation via telecommunications with Dr. Daigle.
Here is " Dr. Daigle's Weekly Update" for the S2L Team
Andrew Daigle, MD
April 10th, Good Friday
I continue to carefully watch the updates of our 2020 Pandemic, especially on how it is affecting the US and locally here in middle Tennessee. I am finding that, with our government proclamation but more importantly with our behaviors, that we ARE having a significant effect on this pandemic. The overwhelming wave of suffering, debility, and death that is occurring now in New York, New Orleans and Detroit has not yet hit Nashville and middle Tennessee. We expect it the peak to come here in the next 7-10 days, however, the infections are being spread NOW, with symptoms later showing up, after “the cat is out of the bag”. Each person with COVID-19 infects an average of 3 other people. In the next few days, we will know how effective our social distancing, masks, washing hands and staying at home has been at lowering death and suffering.
Today, there are a little over 4000 ‘confirmed’ cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee. Today, April 10th, in the US we have had over 17,000 deaths. Currently, 3.5.% of US COVID-19 cases result in death. Locally in Middle Tennessee, our hospitals are not overwhelmed and trying to be prepared. The dire situations in NY, NOLA, and Detroit are on social media everywhere and the medical community here is paying attention. Let’s make that 3.5% part of as small a number as possible! The fewer cases, the fewer deaths.
So, as a community, we ARE listening to wise counsel!
• Keep staying at home as much as possible. Redeem the time, keep in a beneficial routine, and use this as ‘spring training’ for when we transition back into more normalcy.
• Keep your social distance, as a service and kindness to others. Remember that the person you interact with could be an asymptomatic carrier. Keep your 6 ft or more, try to interact with people outside instead of indoors.
• Keep your mask on when you are out! This also is a kindness to others, as the goal of the mask is more to protect OTHERS than to protect you. If you interact with someone who isn’t wearing a mask, they could be an asymptomatic carrier of the virus and not realize it.
• Wear your mask and keep your distance to show others you are doing your part to slow this virus down and get us back toward normal. The fewer the cases, the sooner we transition back.
• Again, wash your hand. A LOT. Consider everything you touch when outside of your home to be full of germs, and remember that soap and water or alcohol kills them. Don’t let those germs near your face.
PLEASE, wait for treatments that are really helpful. We are finding out a lot in a hurry, but avoid ‘panic treatments’ that aren’t yet validated just as you would ‘panic buying’. If and when something really is working, we will all know soon.
We are getting more and more data, and that is helping to decrease the unknown which decreased the fear and allows us to plan. We are using the great resources of the US and international wisdom and intelligence to work together rapidly, all with a shared goal.
According to the best model we have, (the IHME model from the University of Washington), the peak day for deaths in the US will be April 12. April 12 is Sunday. Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday we are projected to ‘turn the tide’ and have fewer deaths each day after that…Why?
The IHME model is completely academic, completely secular, completely non-political. This model does not control the virus but follows the trend. We, as Americans, do not control the virus but only control our behaviors, which includes who we listen to, and whose counsel we accept. Easter Sunday is the day in our Christian tradition that we celebrate OUR victory over death by way of Jesus’s victory over death. As Christians, we accept Jesus’s identity as the one true God and His identity as the only way for each of us to join Him in victory over death. I do not hesitate to believe this model predicting this date as a transition from death is purposeful and with meaning.
I firmly believe that there are no mistakes in God’s management and shepherding of us, His creation. The free will He granted us leads to much suffering, but it also allows for ultimate joy and salvation. When crises occur in life, we all reassess our priorities. Please continue to do this. Consider what is truly valuable and what is ‘important but perhaps distracting’.
Seek wise counsel, read His Word, and most importantly, speak to God directly, from your heart.
My best to each of you. Feel free to pass this on if you feel it could be helpful
Andrew Daigle, MD
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