Thread by @lucianoaglucas

The Seattle metro region and the whole #PNW are being severely affected by the #COVID19outbreak. In >1 month we went from "there is a small cluster of cases in a nursing home" to "we need to lock down the whole region to avoid worst case scenarios" (not happened yet) 1/13

The (social) media frenzy is impressive. Even Facebook and others are worried their servers / data centers may not be able to cope with demand for long (cnn.com/2020/03/18/tec…). We have used social media for good - checking in on friends and family all over the world. 2/13

While this is a challenging time, there are many positive things to be thankful for. Personally, I am enjoying having more time with my young boys (4 and 6 yo) and wife. the boys are curious and scared about the whole story - but 3/13

also happy to spend more time with my partner and me. For other parents out there looking for some help on how to address the crisis with your little ones. I suggest this @nytimes piece: nytimes.com/2020/03/17/par… 4/13

In addition, this cartoon from @NPR is a great add-on to the piece mentioned npr.org/sections/goats… 5/13

I'm concerned about the next 3 weeks as the number of confirmed cases peaks in the US. Unsure how the public will react, how hospitals will cope, and how livelihoods will be affected in the short and long term. That said, I feel very lucky to be in a country where biomedical 6/13

research is outstanding both in the academic and private sectors. (Medical staff and first responders are real life heros - THANK YOU!) As we start to manage the immediate crisis the efforts of the biomedical research community will come into play. Hopefully 7/13

with credible prophylactic and therapeutic approaches as well as vaccines. In fact, efforts are already underway to test vaccines e.g. cnbc.com/2020/03/20/who… and in Seattle: nih.gov/news-events/ne… 8/13

In parallel to the physical health and economic crises (i.e. Nasdaq has dropped nearly 30% since Feb 18th. Now may be a good time to invest?), a mental health crisis is likely to follow (businessinsider.com/mental-health-…). 9/13

In the end, human ingenuity and humanity will prevail. No doubt this is a test and everyone will be affected in some way. I am staying safe, following the public health guidelines and taking the time to appreciate the moment. By the way, spring is out in the #PNW. Birds 10/13

are singing more, the sky is blue, flowers are blooming, the days are noticeably longer, there is a scent of freshly cut grass in the air, kids' laugher is more frequent (neighbours payling in their yards). There is more time to cook and have nice (at home) meals 11/13

with my family, less time community means more time to read (just started "Deep Medicine" from @EricTopol). Stay safe, take care of each other and try to enjoy the positives in this moment of relative hardship. Life goes on. 12/13

As we all try to cope with one of the challenging Springs on record, I am looking forward to a Summer filled with BBQ parties, family gatherings, story telling/sharing, visits to the coast, surfing, and "bica + nata" (Portuguese espresso and egg tart pastry). Take care! 1/13

The cartoon has 8 parts, I only posted the 1st. Follow the link to see the whole thing: npr.org/sections/goats…