Any graph or heat map you look at, one thing is obvious – the coronavirus is out of control and spreading rapidly. New coronavirus cases have jumped by more than a third in the U.S. over the past seven days, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, the fastest pace since late March. Every day since Election Day, more than 100,000 people in the country have tested positive for the virus with a daily record of over 187,957 new cases last Friday per Worldometers.info. We went from 10 million new cases to 11 million in just one week. And we have lost over 250,000 lives.

We saw heartbreaking stories on the news from ICUs in the Northeast during March and April. Then stories from southern states. And now from hospitals in the Midwest. But when you look at the heat maps, the virus is everywhere now.

Listen to any healthcare worker and one more thing is obvious – they are exhausted and burning out. They tell story after story of how hard it is to work 12- and 18-hour shifts caring for COVID patients only to drive home past crowded bars.

We have seen exhausted physicians and nurses share their stories for months. I cannot tell their stories, but I can share them. And I can encourage you to do the same. But more importantly, I can encourage you to take the basic steps needed at this point – messages we have all heard for nearly 9 months now – wear a mask, socially distance, and wash your hands frequently.

This virus is not a hoax. It is not something you can ignore or deny. A story from a nurse in the Dakotas is the latest to go viral. She describes patients who yell at her and say she does not need to wear PPE because they don’t have COVID, right up until they are intubated.

Our healthcare workers truly are heroes, but they are at a breaking point. Our hospitals are at or nearing capacity. There are over 73,000 people hospitalized with COVID, another record since the pandemic started. Field hospitals are opening again in many states.

On Twitter, #HealthcareHeroes recognizes them as they are – true heroes. But it also has the sad stories of so many healthcare workers we have lost to this pandemic. On Monday, Dr. Michael Osterholm, epidemiologist and leading infectious disease expert and now a member of President-elect Biden’s coronavirus task force, announced a partnership to support healthcare workers across the country affected by COVID-19. The Frontline Families Fund will provide direct financial support and educational scholarships to children of healthcare workers who have lost their lives to COVID-19. His November 19 podcast, “The Osterholm Update: COVID-19” will discuss why support for our frontline healthcare workers is so important.

We owe it to our healthcare workers to listen and comply with the basics – wear a mask and socially distance. A November 13 article in The Atlantic by Ed Yong has gotten a lot of attention and rightly so. I encourage you to read it if you haven’t – “No One Is Listening to Us”. The article describes how this third surge is breaking healthcare workers. We must support them. They are there when we need them. They need us now.

The article opens with a story from Dr. Megan Ranney – someone you should pay attention to as she is telling it like it is from the front lines (Twitter @meganranney). Dr. Ranney is an emergency physician at the Rhode Island Hospital, an associate professor at Brown University, and Director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health. During the pandemic she has also been a voice for healthcare workers everywhere launching a grassroots organization Get Us PPE to collect, create and distribute personal protective equipment around the country.

Andy Slavitt, former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a health policy expert. During this pandemic he has covered a wide range of topics on his podcast, In the Bubble, and on his long, insightful threads on Twitter (@ASlavitt).  He has been saying we have to skip a holiday. We have not skipped one yet and there is a notable spike after each one.

Importance:

1. People’s lives
2. People’s health (physical & mental)
3. Nurses & doctors
4. Essential workers
5. Kids & education

Not as we’re doing it:

1. Everyone’s political opinion on masks
2. Absurd theories on immunity
3. Bars/restaurants
4. The Big 10
5. Big gatherings

— Andy Slavitt @ 🏡🇺🇸 (@ASlavitt) November 15, 2020

Thanksgiving is the family holiday we cherish. Time to gather. Everyone sitting inside around a table sharing a meal. But it’s time to reconsider that plan. Many healthcare experts are warning you should only be with the people you live with or already in your small bubble on the holiday. As always, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Many of us are considering our “bubbles” as we plan for thanksgiving.

Please remember, your social bubble may not be as small (or as safe) as you think, so expand it with caution…

(credit to ⁦@StateHealthIN for the great illustration!) pic.twitter.com/OXhigrPf3h

— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) November 18, 2020

Check out this Thanksgiving Edition from Accountable Health with Dr. Nick van Terheyden and Fred Goldstein. They are also doing a COVID Insights to Action Discussion Webinar later today that may help you think through a safe Thanksgiving – you can register here. Dr. Luis Saldana, one of our advisors at StarBridge Advisors, will be joining them to answer your questions. And since we have several winter months of being inside ahead of us, here’s the link to Andy Slavitt’s podcast “Toolkit: How to Stay Safe in COVID Winter”.

With the very promising vaccine announcements by Pfizer and Moderna recently, there is light at the end of the tunnel. But we can’t let our guard down as we wait for it. We can get through this. But it will take each of us doing our part.

Be well. Be strong. Be smart.