BCMS Medical Record Fall 2020 - 27

any of the usual media sources that I or the people I know use.
Additionally, the campaign might not be able to convince strong
opponents to follow public health guidelines. In talking to some
individuals who doubt the seriousness of the virus, I have found
that there is strong distrust of mass media and public authority
concerning the virus.
In order to address this distrust, I propose that primary care
physicians and other health care professionals educate their
patients about the seriousness of COVID-19. Although it might
be challenging for many physicians and health care workers to
find the time, especially as the pandemic continues, I believe that
this initiative could make a critical difference in convincing noncompliant individuals to follow guidelines and limit the spread of
COVID-19 locally.
The other major component of the COVID-19 response in
Berks County has been the significant adaptations made by our
local healthcare systems. To better understand what has been done
in our local system, I spoke with a variety of medical professionals
at different levels. In particular, Doctors D. Michael Baxter, Debra
Powell, and Ankit Shah were especially helpful in broadening my
understanding of the status of COVID-19 in our County. I have
come to understand that an overwhelming effort has been made by
all individuals in our healthcare network to address the pandemic in
the most productive manner.
Intensive sanitation and disinfection protocols have been
implemented in all healthcare settings and many primary care
physicians are performing healthcare assessments by phone or
internet video calls. Despite the risks of infection to themselves,
many healthcare workers continue to work with patients in need.
In hospitals, the status of the virus and the effectiveness of case
management procedures are frequently reviewed. Additionally,
our hospitals are well prepared to convert beds into negative
pressure chambers or ICU beds in order to address the potential for
increased demand for intensive care for infected patients.
Predicting the future of COVID-19 is a challenging task.
There are still many unknown factors surrounding the disease.
Furthermore, the potential for a spike in infections coinciding with
a serious flu outbreak could be a grim possibility for the fall of this
year. However, the same protocols which stop the spread of SARSCOV-2 also prevent the transmission of flu viruses.
Other factors to consider in planning for possible future
community spread is the impact of health and safety measures upon
the viability of local businesses, the mental health of our citizens,
the challenge of reopening schools, and the willingness of the public
to continue to adhere to public health guidelines. Local businesses,
especially restaurants and bars, have taken a major financial hit due
to quarantining and the "new normal" practices that need to be
continued.

The economic damage and social isolation that have resulted
from this pandemic have also undoubtedly caused increased stress.
Fear resulting from the pandemic has also caused many, especially
the elderly, to avoid or postpone healthcare. Ensuring that there
are resources to help individuals at high risk for negative health
outcomes from the virus as well as preexisting conditions, the
unemployed, and those who are suffering from stress and depression
as this virus continues to spread must be made a priority. Knowing
exactly how to help these people is a daunting task, but ensuring
that there are resources available to members of our community will
be critical in recovering from this pandemic.
Finally, predicting when the pandemic will end is nearly
impossible. Hopefully with strict adherence to public health
guidelines the number of new infections will remain low through
the next year. However, until an effective vaccine is made widely
available, we will have to proceed with caution. Unfortunately, I
think there could be another spike in cases in the fall as schools
reopen and members of low risk populations begin to deviate from
public health guidelines. Ensuring that every individual behaves
reasonably will be impossible, but I think that attempting to
make as many people as possible aware of why guidelines must
continue to be followed can have a major difference in preventing
overwhelming spikes in new infections and protecting high risk
populations in our community.
In closing, I would like to thank the Berks County Medical
Society for providing me with this internship. It has been an honor
and a privilege, discussing and learning so much about the strong
medical community in our county.
Michael Silver is a fourth-year Presidential Scholarship
student at Gettysburg College, where he is majoring in
Health Sciences.
References:
1) WHO. (2020, August 27). WHO Coronavirus Disease
(COVID-19) Dashboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020, from https://
covid19.who.int/
2) Johns Hopkins University. (2020, August 27). COVID-19 Map.
Retrieved August 27, 2020, from https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
3) Christakis, N. (2020, August 10). Nicholas Christakis on fighting
covid-19 by truly understanding the virus. Retrieved August 27,
2020, from https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2020/08/10/
nicholas-christakis-on-fighting-covid-19-by-truly-understanding-thevirus?fsrc=newsletter

FALL 2020

|

27
BCMS Medical Record Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BCMS Medical Record Fall 2020
