Covid Corner with Dr. Gary Jacques

"you can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming" --Pablo Neruda Dear MANNM staff and Los Alamos community, Facts: New covid-19 cases in New Mexico rose by 81 yesterday for a total of 624 cumulative cases. 19,136 tests have now been performed. There have been 12 deaths. Los Alamos now has its first 2 confirmed cases. Details of those cases are not yet known (at least by me). 45 people are now hospitalized in state and 130 people are officially recovered. Commentary: There has been a jump in new cases per day over the weekend corresponding it seems to an increase in testing. It still appears 5% of tests come back positive. The presence of virus in Los Alamos County was to be expected and should not precipitate any alarm. Rather, we should double down on what we already know in terms of infection prevention. Hopefully, we will see more masks in public, especially among grocery store clerks and others who continue to face the public within a proximity of 6 feet or less. Encouragement: I hope everyone is enjoying spring weather: birdsong in the morning, grass, turning green, fruit trees blooming. As our quote reminds us, renewal is a force of nature--it can not be suppressed. No matter how grim the news of the moment, we know there is light at the end of this Covid tunnel as well. I look forward to seeing how our nation, our community, our medical practice and our individual selves renew at the end of all this. Dr. Jacques