Even though some of our stores are opening and some residents getting back to work, lots of San Antonio residents are choosing to stay inside and out of harms way until…well, who knows when. Here are just a few ideas on what you can do to make sure that your anxiety does not get the best of you.
 

• Warm weather is upon us and now is the perfect time to start planning out your garden or dive into a small garden if you have always wanted to give it a try. Click here for a helpful list on the easiest plants to start with.
• Get active with your pets. Have you been having trouble with Rover not quite following commands? What a better time than now to help your family pet stay sharp, check out an easy way to get started here.
• Dust off your San Antonio Public Library card. There are plenty of options available for you to look at on the digital library with ebooks, eaudio books, emagazines, and emovies.
• Get cooking or baking. If you enjoy spending time in the kitchen, challenge yourself to try new recipes, work with new ingredients and step outside of your comfort zone. Be sure to enjoy yourself and the process.

 
Stress management is particularly important for all of us right now. We must take care of ourselves to be able to get through these tough times and that means keeping our stress level down. So, whatever it is you like to do to relax at home, do it. Stay safe San Antonio. 

In our battle with the coronavirus, detection of the virus is key.  Up to 30% of the time, the tests results can be incorrect (via swab). It is obvious that getting test results right is important because you can be spreading while you should be self-isolating, especially as some people do not show signs of any illness at all or until they are very ill. This is why Covid SA has two test available.
The swab test works like this…a long flexible cotton swab is guided into the mouth or nasopharynx area and a sample is taken from an in individual. This process is quite comfortable and very brief – takes only a matter of minutes to complete. After the sample is taken, it is sent out to a lab to be tested.
The second way an individual can be tested for Covid-19 is by taking a simple blood sample then sending it away to the lab for testing for antibodies that may be present in the blood. Most patients have detectable antibodies by day 14 after symptoms have started to occur and become more easily able to detect as time goes on.
“When using a single test, the possibility of the test being negative (false negative) is relatively high.  Returning an infected person to your workforce could have huge implications for work missed and for those that are self-insured, medical costs. By utilizing two tests, the probability of having an ill employee returning to work is minimized.” – Dr. Megan Williams
As our city slowly gets back to its previous routine, we need to stay as safe as possible to keep moving forward and not lose all the progress we have made together. If you have employees that will be returning to work or if you feel like you need to be tested for Covid-19, please start the process today. 

Are you still working from home? Some were happy in the beginning but found it to be a bit of a challenge. Your surroundings are obviously different and that can prove to be hard to stay focused and be productive. Here are some tips on what you can do to help keep up with your work.
 

• Make sure to create a space that you dedicate for work, such as a desk, corner of your living room or guest room for the time being. It will be easier for you to associate the time you are spending in that space with your work tasks if you have a dedicated space for work.
• Have set “hours” that you work. If your job doesn’t preset these for you and gives you the choice to set them, do yourself a favor and keep a schedule that you can follow. You will already be used to following a schedule at work, just make an extension of that.
• Take advantage of your surroundings while you can. Since you are at home, make some awesome food and watch a show on your lunch. Chances are, you probably don’t get to do that all the time, so do it while you can.
• Don’t forget to take breaks! Since you are at home, you may find that you don’t get up from your new office space (couch) and forget to get up and move your muscles. Set a timer to remind yourself to get up and take a walk around the house or walk the dog for the 3rd time today and get your blood pumping.
• Stay positive. Even to the most optimistic of the introverts who have been enjoying all the inside and work-from-home time, there still may still be overwhelming feelings of being cooped up. Reach out to friends and family members by phone, video chat, stay in touch with each with other to keep from feeling isolated.

 
Enjoy the sunshine from the safety of your yard and know that we are in this together and this will not last forever. Stay safe, stay healthy. 

Community question:
I’m about to turn 30 and there is a lot of rhetoric out there that we should not worry about contracting this as we are more likely to recover —but what are the effects really?

A: This has been a major issue in controlling the spread of coronavirus. At this moment there are people who are enjoying spring break, confident that it will not affect them.

A couple of facts-- the death rate for people <30 years old is less than 1%. In contrast up to 20% of patients greater than 80 years old will die from COVID19. Their symptoms are also more likely to be mild in nature. So it is a fact that young are less impacted. But please consider;

-if someone less than 30 years old gets the coronavirus, they (like everyone else) are guaranteed to have less access to the health care system. This could translate into an inability to be seen at their primary care physician's office or ER.

-The end result is that a simple upper respiratory infection or pneumonia won't get the attention it would get in a normal, unstressed system which could translate into a worse illness/more complications. But the most serious implication is this;
-Think of that person greater than 60 years old that you love. Your Nana in Atlanta, your Tio in Texas, that nice neighbor that you enjoy chatting with... all of these people are at increased risk of dying. And you can help protect them, just by staying home. It seems a small price to pay for someone you live!

COVID Panic—Where is all the toilet paper?
Hoarding in San Antonio

Been to the store lately? Hopefully not.
That was a trick question – stay home
folks! So, let’s talk toilet tissue. Why on
earth is everyone panic- buying toilet
paper?
As creatures that feel the need to be
prepared and take care of ourselves
through tough times, when we often
will rush out and stock up on things
such as bottled water and canned and
dry goods when we get information on an approaching storm or possible season
of unfavorable weather.
So, why not add this to our prize panic possessions? Our fearful nature that is so
deeply rooted in us that it can cause us to evaluate and choose what other items
we deem worthy of stock piling. Since we all share this same essential bodily
function, it may seem only natural to want to grab up all the two ply you lay your
eyes on. Try your best not to do that.
Even though, as you have probably seen on the local news, there is no shortage of
delivery trucks coming in to drop off supplies to our grocery stores. No shortage
of the incoming toilet paper, so if everyone would just stop over buying and
creating the problem, we all would be okay.
Just remember that we have to share our community with others and that when
you panic-buy and over purchase, you may be taking much needed items from
someone in dire need like an elderly person or someone with children. So, fear
not San Antonio, more toilet paper is on the way, buy what you need and think
about the rest of our community in need.
Stay well and stay home.