It’s been an interesting few months, hasn’t it? Last December, I began seeing an increasing number of newspaper articles about a strange new illness in China. There seemed to be an outbreak of a novel – another word for new – type of pneumonia there, possibly related to SARS or MERS.(1)
That possibility raised concern among many health experts here in Canada, due to our own epidemic of SARS in 2003.(2) By early January, my Twitter feed and other social media were lighting up with details and information that seemed to worsen on a daily basis – sometimes even from one hour to the next.
My social media include many physicians and public health experts, because of my own background in this area. As a graduate student, I worked with epidemiology and public health teams at McGill University and the Université de Montréal here in my hometown, along with researchers from other universities across Canada.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – a part of the World Health Organization (WHO) – was another frequent collaborator with our team, so I’d sign up to receive their email news updates long ago. All of a sudden, these updates all seemed to revolve around this contagious illness; a novel form of coronavirus.
Knowing how quickly a contagion can spread, across countries, I was concerned. Then on January 13, the WHO confirmed a case of this disease outside of China:
The possibility of cases being identified in other countries was not unexpected, and reinforces why WHO calls for on-going active monitoring and preparedness in other countries.”(3)
COVID-19 was now spreading, across borders. Despite encouraging at-risk individuals to practice self-isolation, to stay at home, it took until mid-March for Montreal public health authorities to finally shut down its municipal arenas, community centres, libraries, pools, and other large venues.
Unfortunately, shops and restaurants here were allowed to remain open until March 22, allowing the virus to spread further. Montreal was already the epicentre of COVID-19 in Canada, and has remained so for these past three months. As of today, my husband just updated me, our city has 26,717 confirmed cases, and 3,205 people have lost their lives due to the pandemic.
Those numbers pale in comparison to the epidemic rates in New York City and some other locales, but we have a relatively small population. I hope that things are going better in your area, and that your local public health officials are prepared to handle this virus based on what they’ve seen happening elsewhere.
As for us, my husband and I have been mostly self-isolating. We venture out to go for walks or bike rides away from crowded areas. I visit the local grocery store once a week, wearing a mask and bearing my own hand sanitizer. The grocery is allowing only one person per household into the store, so I volunteered for this.
To spend as little time as possible in the shop, I prepare my list in advance – based on where the items are in the store. If I don’t need something in a particular aisle, I skip that one. It’s kind of like my own little game show, to see how quickly I can get out of there ‘-)
On Saturdays I bike to a pop-up community market, for farm-fresh vegetables and other goodies for the weekend. The market stalls are all outside, which feels so much safer these days than being indoors with strangers. On Wednesdays I visit a local farm, the only day it’s open, to pick up vegetables for the rest of the week at their open-air farm stand.
Once a week, while out for a bike ride, I’ll stop on my way home to pick up sandwiches at a local Italian place. It’s a combination of bakery, café, deli, and home-style restaurant – all only for take-out now. My husband and I used to meet there, on our bike rides, for cookies and cappuccino; he’d usually be doing a 100 km (62 mile) ride, to my 50 km (31 mile) trek.
And yes, I wear a mask! I carry one of my home-sewn two-layer cotton masks with me wherever I go. There’s a small bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse, one in my bike bag, and one in the backpack I sometimes wear. Each time I come home, after washing my hands, I check to see whether I need to refill the bottle. Even if a business has their own cleanser, I still use mine on my way out the door!
There’s another café and bakery, on the waterfront, where my husband and I would meet up if we were closer to the halfway point of my bike ride. Their speciality is gooey sticky cinnamon buns, so good on a long bike ride!
That’s one of the things I miss most these days; being able to sit outside at a café with my sweetheart, when we’d meet up during our bike rides. With its European flare, Montreal is often referred to as having a “café culture”, and I miss it:
Montreal has long lured visitors with its superb galleries and museums, its mouth-watering restaurants and its lively arts scene.
Now, however, there is another reason to visit this inviting city: its coffee.
Café culture is booming in Montreal, thanks to a new generation of entrepreneurs providing next-level brews.”(4)
At this point, though, I can’t imagine feeling ready to sit down at a café table again any time soon – not even at an outdoor térrasse or patio. I’ve spent the past few months being very careful. because of my CRPS. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a rare disease which is both an autoimmune condition and a neuro-inflammatory disease.
The autoimmune component of the condition puts me at greater risk of complications from COVID-19, as does – most likely – my asthma. I’ve had to be on a ventilator for the asthma, many years ago, but it’s not something you forget. I’m doing my best to avoid being in that situation again, or worse.
Other than the occasional visit to the pharmacy, that’s been the extent of my venturing away from home these days. My medical appointments have been switched to phone calls, which has been working well so far, so I haven’t had to visit a hospital or clinic yet.
Texting, social media, and phone calls have been fantastic ways to keep in touch with loved ones and to reach out to folks I hadn’t heard from in a while. Just to check in. I hope the same is true for you, and that you haven’t been feeling isolated – even if you are self-isolating.
Trying to make the best of the situation, that’s more or less my motto these days. I wish you safety and well-being, the ability to take care, to look out for yourself and your loved ones, your neighbours and your community.
As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Stay safe.
References
(1) Kate Kelland and Se Young Lee. Pneumonia outbreak in China may be linked to new virus from SARS, MERS family: WHO. The Globe and Mail. 08 Jan 2020, updated 09 Jan 2020. Online (subscription may be required):
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-pneumonia-outbreak-in-china-may-be-linked-to-new-virus-from-sars-mers/
(1) Editors. How to fight a new virus, using the lessons learned from the SARS outbreak [Editorial]. The Globe and Mail. 21 Jan 2020, updated 11 Mar 2020. Online (subscription may be required):
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-how-to-fight-a-new-virus-using-the-lessons-learned-from-the-sars/
(3) World Health Organization. WHO statement on novel coronavirus in Thailand. [News release.] 13 Jan 2020. Online:
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/13-01-2020-who-statement-on-novel-coronavirus-in-thailand
(4) Ute Junker. Discover Montreal’s coffee culture. Traveller. 15 Dec 2019. Online:
https://www.traveller.com.au/montreals-coffee-culture-h1k3zg