By Dr. Larry Anderson of Anderson Family Medicine 

We are at war with the coronavirus. The enemy is now in Dawson County. It has been here for several weeks. It is misleading to look at the statistics that show only the county of residence for those who test positive. We had three people who work, but don’t live in Dawson County that tested positive before we had the first resident to test positive.

I have spoken with Dr. Kathleen Toomey’s office about the current reporting system not being as helpful as it could be. She is the Commissioner for Public Health for the state.

The Truth About Viral Infection

When you get infected with a virus, there are only two scenarios. 

Scenario 1 — Your body’s immune system will kill the virus.  

Scenario 2 — The virus will kill you. 

Scenario 3 — There is no third scenario. This is what happens with war and an enemy.

We can take lessons from the wars where we defeated our enemies. George Washington with the French and Indian war, and William Sherman with the Confederacy. The weapon they used was starvation. If the enemy cannot eat, it cannot survive. Our bodies are the food for this enemy

The weapon we use to starve this enemy is social distancing. This enemy can infect you only if it comes in contact with you. Stay away from it. Six feet is a good number, but farther is better. Do not touch where the enemy has been. Clean all surfaces where the enemy may be hiding. Do not give the enemy a safe harbor. Do not touch your mouth, nose or eyes.

The weapons you have to fight this enemy are social distancing, disinfectants, hand washing, hand sanitizers, and masks. You must use all of these. There are no exceptions.

Masks do two things

First, they keep you from breathing in the virus or allowing it to touch your nose or mouth. 

Second, they keep you from coughing the virus onto others when you have it, but don’t have symptoms.  Cloth masks being made by the good women of Dawson County are a good weapon, but know that they are not a substitute for an N95 or surgical mask. These masks also remind us that we are at war.

Dawson County is meeting the enemy. Whether you like it or not, whether you choose it or not, you are a warrior. Be proud. Thanks for reading.