23 Jul A lesson from the coronavirus that could save us all – the community can save the community

By William R. Hartman, MD, UW Health via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

I teach my five children there are two keys to living a good life: working hard and being kind. I am an eternal optimist. Today is the best day until tomorrow, which will be even better.

But my optimism has been challenged this year. A virus with no cure appeared, and the only way to slow it down was to stay away from each other. Stores closed, schools shuttered and in-person interaction stopped with no end in sight. It felt hopeless. Then the pandemic showed me something else. It showed me how a community can overcome.

While we work toward a COVID-19 vaccine, we need a way to treat those who contract the virus. We’ve known for a long time that using blood from someone who has recovered from a disease to treat a patient fighting that same sickness can be effective. This spurred the nationwide effort to study whether giving blood plasma from people who survived COVID-19 to patients who currently have it can help shorten the duration or severity of their illness. Read more …