An important email from the Medical Director of Lakewood Hatzolah (who is the Medical Director of NYC Hatzolah as well) was provided to YWN, and it is published below. Our decision to publish this, is to inform the public about the importance of seeking the proper medical care if infected with COVID-19 – and not being scared to go to a hospital, which are pretty empty at this point. There are many new treatments (see below) which hospitals are utilizing, and if given early, are seeing a tremendous positive outcome. To the members, As you are all aware, there has been quite an uptick in positive COVID cases in Lakewood and surrounding areas. While the majority of cases are mild, we have seen some patients requiring oxygen, hospitalization, and even ICU admissions. However, we are getting reports that patients and families may still be afraid to call for even severe symptoms and are afraid to go to the hospital. The reality is that currently the hospitals are underwhelmed, are below capacity, and have advanced therapies such as high flow oxygen, Remdesivir, IV steroids, convalescent plasma, etc available for COVID-19 patients and some are proven to be more effective if given earlier in the course of the illness, especially before day seven. Therefore, it is in the patient’s best interest to be evaluated and possibly admitted in the hospital earlier rather than later.  Additionally, some hospitals are still allowing visitation. We must go back to the “pre-covid” mentality. Patients with moderate to severe illness and especially with hypoxia should absolutely be encouraged to be transported to the hospital. Please let your friends, families, neighbors, and colleagues know about these recommendations. As a reminder, masks and gloves are required on EVERY call, and more advanced PPE such as N-95 masks, gowns, and eye protection should be used when indicated. We hope that the trend continues to decrease and we only see mild cases, but we must be prepared to deal with a possible serious second wave. We will keep you updated as the situation evolves. Have a K’sivah Vachasima Tovah and thank you for all that you do. Sincerely, Dr. Shimshi Zimmerman MD-7 JOIN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS WHO ALREADY ARE ALERTED OF BREAKING NEWS LIKE THIS IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be dded to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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