Every now and then an unlikely hero emerges and inspires us all. And in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the real heroes wear scrubs, not capes
When friends think of Lynzy Coughlin of Lynzy & Co., they think of a stylish mom-of-three (soon to be four) who juggles a career as a Physician Assistant and her passion for her lifestyle blog and popular Instagram account. And lately, while many of us are trying to figure out how to socially distance ourselves from other people to avoid illness, she is gearing up and running into battle in her Connecticut hospital’s emergency department.
Lynzy recently shared her thoughts and concerns about working amid the pandemic (like caring for sick patients while 22 weeks pregnant) and worrying that people aren’t taking social distancing seriously enough. She recently created a post begging those who aren’t yet taking this situation seriously to please do so, as she’s been up close and personal with it.
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She writes:
“Today I worked in the ED at 22 weeks pregnant, worried for the life of my baby and my own life. I took an oath to serve as did MANY others and I want you to know that this isn’t easy for ANY of us.
“The reality that COVID is everywhere is here. We still have limited tests but there are MANY patients coming in with symptoms and that would most likely be positive if we could test them all (and hopefully will soon in the next few days). Your chance of exposure already is high (IMO). My husband I both work emergency medicine and are already seeing the serious implications that this virus can have.
“This post is just a friendly reminder that I want to put out here to keep this community as safe as possible.
“I also see many people not taking it seriously and continuing on with their daily activities. In all honesty, the best way to shut this down is to order a national lockdown (which will hopefully happen). PLEASE stay home. Have fun with your kids and keep your distance from others. You can still go on hikes and be outdoors but just distance yourself from others.
“Does it suck? YES. But guess what? This is our BEST chance at keeping ourselves and OTHERS safe right now. It’s not about YOU, it’s about people less likely to fight off the virus.
In some of her recent Instagram Stories, Lynzy has touched on those people who are still considering COVID-19 to be “like the flu” and so are going about their daily lives, having play dates, and not practicing social distancing, as is recommended. Now, she’s urging people to listen to the advice to stay home and reduce your exposure to others as much as possible.
In some of her most recent Instagram Stories, Lynzy addressed those people who are still considering COVID-19 to be “like the flu” and are going about their daily lives, business as usual.
“This post is just a friendly reminder that I want to put out here to keep this community as safe as possible. I also see many people not taking it seriously and continuing on with their daily activities. In all honesty, the best way to shut this down is to order a national lockdown (which will hopefully happen). PLEASE stay home. Have fun with your kids and keep your distance from others. You can still go on hikes and be outdoors but just distance yourself from others. Does it suck? YES. But guess what? This is our BEST chance at keeping ourselves and OTHERS safe right now. It’s not about YOU, it’s about people less likely to fight off the virus.”
“It’s not about YOU, it’s about people less likely to fight off the virus.”
If you think you’re immune because you’re younger and those under 40 have been shown in the available data to be somewhat less affected, she wants you to know that you’re not, and thinking that way is irresponsible for yourself and for others.
She ends her post lauding those serving their communities and putting themselves at risk to keep the rest of us healthy: “Pray for those on the front end of this thing. It’s scary sh*t.”
Amen to that.