John,

I spoke with a friend of ours the other day on the phone. It had been a while since we’d spoken and I had called to check in on him and his family. Thankfully, he and his wife were doing well, but he immediately hit me with a barrage of questions regarding his daughter who is eight months pregnant and lives in another state. Is she more vulnerable to coronavirus because she’s pregnant? Could she pass the virus to the baby? Does it impose risks for her delivery? Will they be able to visit their new grandbaby soon after he or she arrives? Is there a greater risk to newborns? How long will this last?

I know my friend is not alone. There are so many of us out there who have questions about the virus and how it will impact the ones we love. Unfortunately, many of these questions cannot be answered yet because we just don’t know enough about this virus. That lack of full knowledge and understanding of this crisis is really at the root of our nation’s fears right now.

One of my greatest worries right now is about those who are most physically vulnerable to this virus, like my 83 yr-old father. Seniors, people with chronic illnesses, folks with asthma or other respiratory conditions, people who are immunosuppressed.

I worry about those who are still working and unable to stay home during this crisis. We are tremendously grateful to our frontline medical professionals, first responders, and all ancillary medical staff who have been working tirelessly in hospitals, emergency departments, nursing homes, extended-care facilities, and clinics since this virus hit our shores.

But I also worry about those who are most economically vulnerable: the small business owners who’ve had to shutter their shops, the hourly wage worker who doesn’t have healthcare benefits, the employees who don’t have paid sick leave, the millions who’ve had to apply for unemployment, the folks who have no economic security or safety net.

This is why I will continue to do the work of this mission to which we are committed - fighting for those who are struggling, being a voice for those who are not being heard. We will continue to demand action from lawmakers to extend unemployment benefits, ensure paid sick leave for every worker, provide food assistance to seniors and children, offer bridge loans to small business owners, provide mortgage/rent waivers, and more.

We will demand adequate and necessary personal protective equipment for our healthcare workers who are, on a daily basis, risking their lives to save others. We don’t send soldiers to war without protective equipment and proper weapons. I won’t stand by while my colleagues are asked to do just that. And, as we’ve been doing since the earliest days of this pandemic, we will fight for free, widespread coronavirus testing because we know that the sooner we identify those that are positive, the sooner we can isolate them, trace their contacts, and prevent further spread.

As emergency physicians, we were taught in residency to hope for the best but ALWAYS prepare for the worst - for complications, unexpected side effects, adverse reactions. This wasn’t a doom-and-gloom, fatalistic philosophy. It was a thoughtful, proactive, and highly effective one, given the crises we faced on an hourly basis. I urge all of you out there to do the same. Let’s do everything we can to optimize outcomes for all of our communities, but be mindful and follow all precautions as the CDC, the NIH, and our medical professionals and public health officials have advised.

Take good care, stay healthy, and I hope to see you all soon. Please reach out to our office at [email protected] with any questions. We are here to help in any way we can.

With love & hugs (from 6 feet away, of course) ~

Hiral