CORONAVIRUS: Facts about COVID-19, Preventing its Spread, Strengthening our Immune Systems, Preventing Panic & Fear, plus Business Implications & Leadership Guidance.
There is no doubt that the coronavirus outbreak is a human tragedy impacting thousands of people directly as well as having a growing social and economic impact worldwide.
As the outbreak unfolds, the information we have about its transmission and its impact on people’s lives will change, hopefully for the better, with actual morbidity rates turning out to be much lower than those reported thus far.
There is no doubt that coronavirus will have an impact on all of us, but that impact will be moderated by multiple factors.
Those factors will include 1) the actual nature of the virus – who it impacts and how it impacts them, and 2) the actual spread of the virus – whether is is limited or widespread.
It seems clear, though, that the biggest factor, and the one we have the most control over, will be how political leaders, business leaders, and people in general respond to the situation – with reason and clearheaded behaviors designed to mitigate human and economic harm, or with panic and fear which can cause even greater harm.
This article will provide 5 Things.
- Facts about the COVID-19 virus and it’s likely impact on people who are infected.
- Suggestions that can help us all minimize the likelihood of falling ill and minimize the spread of any virus including coronavirus.
- Tips to help people strengthen our immune systems and minimize the risk of any type of infection.
- Leadership guidance to prevent panic & fear.
- Guidance for business leaders on the economic and financial implications of the coronavirus epidemic and how to determine proactive measures to protect your workers and business.
1) Facts about the COVIDE-19 coronavirus and its likely impact on people who are infected.
We currently have clear data that COVID-19 produces minimal, mild or modest symptoms in the vast majority of people who are infected.
We know that because most coronavirus testing being done to this point has been only on the very ill, it is likely and we are hopeful that there are huge numbers of people whose coronavirus infection has been so mild that they didn’t even show symptoms or had such mild symptoms that they didn’t see a doctor – meaning the mortality rate is likely substantially lower, perhaps as low as the seasonal flu. This remains to be seen. Time and more data will tell.
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We know that the people who have succumbed to COVID-19 have been the extremely old and/or those who are already severely compromised due to additional existing medical conditions. It is an undisputed fact that the health risk to the majority of people including and especially children is actually extremely low. That said, it is also beyond question that we must take measured and thoughtful action to protect the most susceptible among us.
We know that in “first world” countries like the United States, with advanced medical systems and accessibility to medical care, the risk of major complications or severe negative outcomes from Coronavirus becomes even lower, even for the already sick and elderly.
We are uncertain about exactly how harmful COVID-19 actually is, which means the true risk, unfortunately, is currently an unknown. But it is likely that the true risk is much lower than initial statistics have indicated.
Does this mean we should ignore coronavirus and take no precautions? Of course not.
It just means we need to stay clearheaded and take reasonable steps to ensure we minimize the health impact of the coronavirus while making sure we don’t cause massive, unnecessary, and avoidable harm by allowing panic to rule the day.
2) Suggestions that can help us all minimize the likelihood of falling ill and minimize the spread of any virus
The good news is that the coronavirus does NOT appear to have air born transmission. It’s NOT just floating in the air waiting to be caught. The CDC has indicated that its primary transmission is through respiratory droplets that are expelled when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is NOT thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
So what does this mean. Simple. We must follow the general rules we should all be following during flu season anyway.
If you cough or sneeze cover your mouth and nose. Sneeze into a tissue and throw it away.
Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.
Warm water is better than cold. At least 20 seconds. Especially after coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose or going to the bathroom and before eating or preparing food. Really scrub them. Regular soap is fine as COVID-19 is a virus not a bacteria. Hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol can be used as well if washing is not feasible.
Here is the big key – even if the virus is on a surface or your clothes, if you don’t give it an entry point it likely won’t get in.
So please, please, please – avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth, and face with unwashed hands.
Yes it’s hard. We tend to touch our face between 12 and 19 times an hour believe it or not. Just be aware and keep your hands off your face. This and clean hands will drastically reduce your likelihood of falling ill or spreading the coronavirus or other illnesses.
Clean your computer and phone at reasonable and regular intervals, as they are, according to experts, usually less sanitary than your toilet seat. There is no reason to obsess, but if you haven’t cleaned your smartphone or keyboard in a very long time, maybe it would be a good idea to give them a little disinfectant wipe down now, and periodically in general.
And if you are really sick, see a doctor and/or stay home to prevent spreading your illness to others. But the key is to not get infected in the first place, so WASH, WASH, WASH THOSE HANDS and please remind yourself to KEEP THEM OFF YOUR FACE. These simple steps will do wonders to keep you safe from all kinds of illness including coronavirus.
3) Tips to help people strengthen our immune systems and minimize the risk of any type of infection.
Everyone knows that stress weakens the immune system, so worrying excessively about coronavirus increases our likelihood of getting sick in general and reduces our ability to resourcefully make lucid rather than fear driven decisions.
Strengthen your immune system by vanquishing stress and learning emotional mastery.
But I can’t help being stressed, you say. Neither can my family, friends, coworkers or the people I lead at work.
There are many ways to reduce stress and help manage our emotions. Many people work out, practice yoga, meditate, listen to music, or distract themselves with entertaining or mindless shows on TV. Even a simple breathing exercise has been proven to massively transform your biochemistry in as little as 60 seconds.
Try it right now. Sit up tall in your chair or stand tall and strong if you are on your feet. Close your eyes and breath deeply and slowly for the next 60 seconds and think about something beautiful or wonderful or hopeful or happy. Picture the face of someone you love very much – your child, your spouse, your parent, or an extraordinary friend who has supported you through thick and thin. Breathe deeply and slowly as you allow your self to feel grateful for those wonderful people and experiences and the love and connection they have brought into your life. Feel the gratitude and love. Breathe deeply and slowly.
When you open your eyes you will likely feel a little more centered. But if you actually did this breathing exercise wholeheartedly, your body has just released a massive does of healing chemicals into your bloodstream. Deep breathing three times a day, if you did nothing else, does wonders at relieving the physical impact of stress on the body.
Of course, truly mastering emotions, building resilience and vanquishing stress will take more than just a few minutes of deep breathing.
Those who truly want to master the ability to manage emotions and eliminate stress can learn the most powerful emotional intelligence and resilience tools & techniques from professional expert trainers.
So however you choose to do it – for yourself, your team, your family, and anyone you lead – finding and mastering ways to reduce stress and be emotionally centered is critical to bolstering your immune system. Do something for yourself and anyone you lead.
Plus learning to eliminate stress and be more resilient in general will bring extraordinary benefits across all areas of life, making you more productive and happier every day.
There are additional ways to strengthen your immune system and we encourage employers and business leaders to remind your people to do these simple things:
Drink plenty of water – Hydrate! Water is vital to most of your bodily functions and makes up a large portion of your body mass. It makes of 92% of your blood by volume. Water helps carry oxygen to your cells. Water also is involved in removing toxins from your system. Stay hydrated and your body’s systems will all function better including your overall immunity function which will prevent infection or help you fight it.
Eat healthy and fresh foods. The nutrients in fresh fruits and vegetables help the body and bolster your immune response. Also Vitamins A, C, D and Zinc can have an impact on our susceptibility to some viral infections as well as correlating with reduced symptoms and duration, especially if we were previously in deficit on any of these vitamins. Vitamin D in particular is thought to have a strong impact on moderating respiratory infections. That said, don’t go crazy with vitamins and consult your doctor before taking them. Or just get on in the sun if possible. It will make you feel better in general, provide Vitamin D and there is a correlation between flu and the lack of sunshine during winter months.
On the flip side, avoid eating unhealthy foods. We all know they are bad for us even if some taste really good, so if we want to have stronger immunity, avoid excess consumption of soda, processed foods, foods & drink high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol. Also, though not a food, using tobacco products can also impair your immune system.
Move your body. The lymphatic system, which is the body’s toxic waste remover, doesn’t have a pump like the heart that pumps your blood. The lymphatic fluid is pumped by bodily movement. And it doesn’t require much. Just bouncing up and down from heal to toe for 2-3 minutes three times a day can make a big impact. And if you and your body are up to it, jumping up and down rather than just bouncing can certainly create even more impact. Just do it safely and at your own pace. Some action and movement is better than none at all.
Get enough sleep! Recent studies have clearly shown that lack of sleep for even one night can crash your immune system by up to 70% and consistently not getting enough sleep can reduce immune response even more. Researchers have repeatedly confirmed that adults need 7-8 hours of sleep to maintain a strong immune system. So get it at night or schedule two short naps a day not to exceed 20 minutes each. Research has also shown that a short nap can often make us more effective, more flexible and more creative as well as improving our memory among many other benefits.
4) Leadership guidance to prevent panic & fear.
Regardless of what the actual nature of the virus turns out to be – dangerous or mild, people and businesses that panic will have worse outcomes than those who stay clearheaded and not blinded by fear.
In a best case scenario, coronavirus will have very limited human costs. Let’s hope the mortality rate turns out to be much lower that initial estimates and that loss of life can be limited.
And if it turns out that the medical implications are more extreme, yet we avoid panic and fear, our healthcare system will have the best chance to minimize impact and provide the best outcomes to anyone who falls ill with COVID-19 and has severe symptoms.
The fact is that it is already causing disruptions to supply chains and having a material impact on the economy.
The one scenario that must be avoided is panic. Panic will lead to extreme and unreasonable behaviors that can ripple across our healthcare system and decimate our entire world economy. Fear and panic across society can destroy businesses and livelihoods of millions. Panic within your business can destroy your company and eliminate your team’s ability to find solutions so we can move forward in the face of any challenge. Panic on an individual basis can lead to emotional breakdown and financial and personal disaster.
The question is – Will we let fear and panic set in or will we be in command of the situation – however mild or extreme it might actually be – and minimize any negative outcomes for ourselves and others.
Take the example of a theatre full of people. Someone yells “Fire.” Even if you can’t see or smell fire, if some people panic, panic ensues. People trample each other in fear engaging in aggressive and excessive attempts to escape the unknown but salient potential threat. If it turns out there was no fire, many people were harmed for no reason.
But imagine there actually was a small fire. Should someone have gotten a fire extinguisher and simply put it out – not scaring or alarming anyone? Should people have responded in an orderly manner and helped each other evacuate the building
And imagine it was a potentially large fire. Wouldn’t an orderly evacuation save lives versus a frenzied free for all where people are trampling each other and being trapped and consumed by the flames.
Firefighter, police, and any other heroic people who have been trained to handle extreme challenges run forward with courage while everyone else is running away in fear. They do so with relative safety because they have the skills, training, tools, equipment, insight and strategies to minimize risk while still moving forward. They have courage AND the proper skills & knowledge to succeed in the face of difficult or extreme situations.
Business leaders who kept their heads during the Depression, the Recession, and every financial stressor in history reaped massive rewards. Those who allowed fear to take command suffered terrible losses.
The most successful Military leaders know that a team becomes strong because all of its members have strength AND because can rely on each other with absolute certainty rather than allowing fear and survival mode to lead people to act on selfish impulses rather than focusing on collective goals.
For political, community and business leaders, now is the time to step up and actually lead. We must help people manage and eliminate fear and doubt. We must actually lead through change, crisis or challenge.
This means having transparent and open communication.
It means sharing accurate information rather than soundbites and fear.
It means providing precision in the information we disseminate
It means taking reasonable precautions to increase safety in the face of uncertainty, but not making rash decisions
It means being more flexible.
It means realizing that there may be changes we have to digest and learn to thrive through.
It means caring deeply and showing how much we care.
Above all, it means doing what we must to prevent people from going to fear.
Whatever is going to happen will be exponentially worse if we allow fear to prevail (remember the great depression and the great recession – in each there was without question a real underlying problem, but the bulk of the carnage and excessive economic damage and loss was caused by panic rather than the underlying issue.)
People left to their own devices typically have two default states: 1) normal and 2) crisis mode.
When crisis strikes, our brain unleashes a seemingly different person into our body.
In crisis / survival mode, people usually only look out for themselves.
But if our goal is to steady the ship, an “every man for himself” strategy is a very poor strategy indeed.
We need to collaborate. We need to look out for each other. We need to keep our eye on the big picture.
We also need to keep ourselves and the people we care about safe. When we are courageous and not driven by fear, the size of the group of people we care about expands. When we are in positions of power and leadership the size of the group of people we care about can be countless.
Our brain can either call a fear driven person who reacts and responds, covers and defends, or attacks without thought or it can be trained to call for the hero that lives in each of us.
We can be trained to step up in the face of uncertainty. We can be trained to turn fear into power. We can be trained to bring our intellect back online rather than succumbing to instinctual defensive behavior. We can be trained to feel unstoppable. We can be trained to connect and communicate rather than throwing up barriers. We can be trained to be our best self in the face of change, challenge external uncertainty.
Train yourself and anyone you lead to eliminate fear and panic. That doesn’t mean bury your head in the sand. It doesn’t mean simply wear rose colored glasses. True leadership is seeing things as they are – not better and not worse. True leadership is deciding from a place of strength, not fear, how things need to be. And true leadership is creating a solid plan to get us from where we are to where we want to be.
True leaders master their emotions and don’t go into panic.
The best leaders teach the people they lead the same skills or they hire experts to train their teams in these skillsets.
Without such training, fear and panic will prevail causing pain and suffering which could easily be prevented.
With courage, determination, resilience and clarity, we can create the best outcomes, no matter what the challenge we face.
5) Guidance for business leaders on the economic and financial implications of the coronavirus epidemic and how to determine proactive measures to protect your workers and business.
We do not have a crystal ball and cannot predict with certainty what the future holds, but a wise person once said if you want to predict the future, create it.
There is no doubt that coronavirus has already created a substantial economic impact across the globe.
So let’s look at a best, a middle and a worst case scenario so we can determine the most positive course of action we, as business leaders, can take to create a positive future by controlling the things that are within our control and influencing the things that are within our sphere of influence.
Case #1 – Optimistic – Fast Recovery – Coronavirus turns out to be much less dangerous and is seasonal
In this situation, we will see the cases in China begin to lessen and then end followed by those in Korea, Iran and other locations around the world. We will also get data indicating that the morbidity rate is actually quite low and the threat was overstated. Finally, community transmission will be limited in the U.S. and around the world and even if it is not limited in scope, the impact will be significantly less deadly for elderly and for most it will include moderate, mild or no symptoms whatsoever. The disruption of world economies will be restricted to Q1 and Q2 and a limited segment of industries with minimal long term implications.
Case #2 – More Likely – Paced Recovery – Global Slowdown through end of 2020 – Coronavirus less dangerous but Social & Government Responses lead to major economic impacts
In this scenario, it will take longer for cases in China, Korea, Iran and other locations to resolve and the virus will spread across Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and North and South America leading to measures that limit and curtail economic activity and cause economic contraction due to dampened consumer demand, both because of consumer fear and because consumers on whole will have less spending capacity due to the trickle through of the economic disruptions at large. Consumer confidence will slowly return into the end of the year, especially if world governments, central banks, the media and businesses coordinate together in order to moderate and mitigate fear and panic. The long term implications will not be tragic for most industries and the world economies will recover and return to a new baseline – though some consumer behavior will be changed forever. Figuring out how, why, how much and where is an opportunity for businesses to evolve and grow stronger through this challenge.
We facilitate strategic leadership programs to help you determine your strategy to succeed in the post coronavirus world.
Case #3 – Pessimistic – Pandemic – Global Recession and Worldwide Sea Change
In this scenario, coronavirus spreads rapidly across the world because the draconian containment measures used in China are not possible or plausible in many countries. Fear and panic prevail. The virus mutates and multiple strains take hold some of which have higher morbidity rates than the optimistic outcome we hope for. There are heavy contractionary waves through the economy as consumer demand contracts and the self reinforcing fear cycle makes the problems worse than they are economically. Travel restrictions remain in place through the end of the year and into 2021. The world must go through a sea change with massive restructuring of the global supply chains and a substantial change to the way we live in the world going forward taking into account the risk of future novel viruses and other threats. While this scenario is unlikely, it would be wise for businesses to consider it and plan for this contingency. At best, we plan and it never comes to pass, but we develop insights and ideas that will serve going forward anyway. At worst we have a plan in place to lead into a new world.
We facilitate strategic leadership programs to help you determine your strategy to succeed in the post coronavirus world.
No matter which case scenario comes to pass, as company leaders you must do the following:
A) Deal with the present and immediate future.
- Protect your employees
- Ensure sufficient liquidity to weather the storm
- Determine how to ensure a stable supply chain
- Stay connected to your customers & clients
- Serve your communities
B) Create your strategies for the future no matter which scenario comes to pass.
In every crisis we face, there are costs which cannot be avoided.
Yet much of the downside most people experience is not from the crisis directly but from how we handle it and what we do with it.
In this and every crisis we can also find unbelievable and extraordinary opportunity. Opportunity to grow. Opportunity to serve. Opportunity to connect. Opportunity to create.
Let’s all hope for the best, help those in need, and stay courageous and focused.
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
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Professional Teambuilding & Leadership Development provides results focused seminars, trainings, events and coaching for corporate, military, government and non-profit leaders & teams.
If you want to train your leaders and your team to minimize stress, fear and panic or if you would like to plan a strategic session with your senior leadership team please contact us or call us at 1-800-446-4742 to discuss your needs and goals.
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