Media reports on COVID-19: Please, the severity of symptoms experienced by those who are infected, is not age-related, it is health related. The issue may be more complicated as some people are more vulnerable than others due to how their immune system reacts to the COVID-19 virus.

In Italy a quarter of the cases were among people aged 19 to 50. In Spain one third of cases were below the age of 44 , In the U.S. the CDC reported 29% of cases between the ages of 20 to 44. In France, more than half of the people admitted to hospital with COVID-19 were under the age of 60 (Globe and Mail, March 29, 2020).

With all the misleading stories that were previously published many “young” people were given a false sense of security and some of these, inadvertently, or due to immaturity, placed others at risk!

Celebrities: I know we are all in this together, but not all of us are considered equal. Maybe now it is the perfect time to think before showing your perfect hide-away places on social media.  “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”(Animal Farm, George Orwell, 1945).

Big Pharma & Treatment hopes: I have hopes that immunosuppressant and arthritis drugs can form a solution. From all the stories I read, it seems that in some people their immune system is overreacting causing tissue damage leading to death. These drugs may form options for treatment. “Big pharma researchers”, although we have mixed feelings about the drug industry, now we desperately need you!

With school closures, Online learning is given a boost: YEAH-YEAH-YEAH! We have always known that Online learning is the future and that in combination with solid internships and practicum placements, quality can be delivered in flexible ways to all. Hopefully, some professional organizations will change their mind and leave behind their old-fashioned politics, voting for quality education based on merit and competencies rather than focusing solely on the name of the institution.

Online Therapy: Online therapy is one-on-one (and with couples). Please do not confuse one-on-one therapy with internet-based “therapy” following an instruction manual, similar to a course (it is not individualized or personal).

Let’s hope that more options for remote modalities in counselling therapy will become available and accessible to all. This can be counselling over the telephone, over secure email or by using video-conference options such as Skype and Zoom etc.

Stay healthy and listen to those who provide us with the most informative updates :)!

And be kind to one another…“and spare a square” 🙂 (Seinfeld, The Stall, 1994).

Elisabeth