How Tea and COVID-19 Sparked the Birth of a Blogger

I was imaging this as my avocation when I retired in about one year–just hanging out with folks and playing the sideline coach. What a dream. Then COVID-19 HIT!

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Stepping in the Name of Health

I was in hog heaven spending four days in Las Vegas watching basketball and getting my steps in. I was a member of my non-profit team that was participating in the Billion Step Challenge.  On my first day I logged over 17,000 steps and logged the equivalent of 25 miles by the end of the trip.  There were great games, great people, and the players laid it out there on the court.  Lots of fun was had. 

I was imaging this as my avocation when I retired in about one year–just hanging out with folks and playing the sideline coach. What a dream. 

The COVID-19 Concerns Started Coming 

During this time there were low level concerns about the virus.  Tournament staff was wiping down railings and there was plenty of hand sanitizer.  We were joking around thinking this was just a passing fancy and that the sanitizer businesses had created a scheme to make a lot of money in 2020. I had a fleeting thought about the reported connection between dropping gas prices and the virus looming in China.

Concerns Turned Into COVID-19 Panic

However, shortly after returning home it was apparent that Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was more than a notion it was a pandemic.

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I found myself with some upper respiratory issues that sidelined me for a couple of weeks. During that time I received an explosion of emails that I suddenly had time to read.  The emails were from organizations or affiliated organizations talking about what they were doing at their worksites to curb the spread of disease. Sipping my concoction of wonderful Black tea, lemon, and honey I started doing some self-talk.

“Well that is great, but how do we help the people out there that are concerned or maybe even those that know nothing about the virus?  The everyday people need to know what’s going on and how they can protect themselves.  They need to understand this stuff. “  

30 Years+ Health Experience to Educate my People on COVID -19

I started watching news reports, reading stuff online, and of course formulating some ideas and opinions. I wanted to know every little detail about this novel virus.  I thought one of the best ways to make people more aware was to write some articles that gave a compressed version of all the things I had learned and more importantly to let people know what they could do to be healthy and well during this attack. After hearing feedback on some of those pieces, I decided that blogging would be a great way for me to educate people about COVID-19 and a myriad of other health and wellness concerns that dominate our lives. Although the pieces would have heavy doses of my perspective, the information would be real and accurate.

A True Tea Lover Spilling The Tea on Health 

I have always been a daily tea drinker and true tea lover- hot, iced, sweet, and spicy.

So, spilling the tea seemed a perfect back drop for my blog. Kicking off a blog with COVID- 19 is perfect over a cup of tea. There are so many flavas attached to the virus. Everyone agrees it is a new virus and  has shown its deadliness. How it got to humans is still in question. There are quite a few ideas out there.  I favor the bat to pangolin to human.  We may never get the full answer. You can certainly get the numbers/statistics from many sources.

One of the most efficient ways to keep up with the numbers per state is through this link – https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/mar/21/coronavirus-map-us-latest-cases-state-by-state. 

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Where is Your State on the Map?  

Most state health departments have more specific local information. Don’t sip on these numbers daily as it can be a bit depressing. However, looking at the maps periodically can serve as a reminder that this virus does not play!  Instead, everyday, do the things that can reduce your risk of getting it and tell your friends.

My Perspective on the Pandemic 

COVID- 19 knows no boundaries. People are being affected worldwide- all genders (harsher on men), races (no, Black people are not immune), socioeconomic statuses, political affiliation, famous or infamous. The virus and the pandemic have exposed implicit biases, governmental issues at the highest level (health is not a team sport, so being a fan of a medication is not legitimate), greed, and corruption.  There have been more questions created than answers. I’m sure you can think of one.  

At any rate, once the U.S. ramped up, the recommendations began flowing:

• stay home,
• social/physical distancing,
• hand washing frequently,
• cover mouth when coughing,
• and all that.

Some people did hear the messages. Others didn’t believe the messages or didn’t think it applied to them. There are also folks with silent disease, passing it on.  Unfortunately, the number of people infected has exploded in a short period of time. COVID- 19 is such an important health and public health concern at this time it will be the early focus of my blogs. I hope to deliver dynamic information that has a twist, will be edifying and will get you thinking and more importantly acting. 

Good bye, tea time awaits.

Dr.TeaNT

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