Definitions
What is the COVID-19 pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic is the widespread outbreak of infections caused by a new strain of corona virus happening around the world right now.
Millions of people will get sick from COVID-19 and many will need to go to the hospital. If there are too many sick people all at once, there may not be enough room, medicine, or lifesaving equipment to take care of everyone and more people could die because of that.
What is triage?
Triage is the system doctors use to decide which patients will get treatment if there is not enough medication or equipment to take care of everyone. Usually doctors will give treatment to the patients they feel will have the best chance to survive.
What is a critical care bed?
A critical care bed is a bed in the place in the hospital that takes care of the very sickest patients who need to be watched very closely. This most common example of this place is an intensive care unit (ICU).
What are antiviral medications?
Antiviral medications are medicines that fight against viruses like corona virus and the flu.
What is an experimental medication or treatment?
Experimental medications or treatments are medicines or therapies given in the hope that they may help a patient get better but their safety and effectiveness have not been demonstrated.
An experimental medication or treatment may or may not help a patient get better and could have unexpected side effects.
What is a ventilator?
A ventilator is sometimes called a breathing machine. It breathes for very sick patients when they cannot breathe on their own.
What is ECMO?
ECMO is short for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. An ECMO machine is sometimes called a heart-lung machine. It puts oxygen into the blood and helps pump it around the body for very sick patients so their hearts and lungs have time to rest and get strong enough to work on their own again.
What is palliative care or comfort care at the end of life?
Palliative care or comfort care are efforts to see that a patient is treated in a way that lessens mental and physical pain and suffering at the end of life.
What is COVID-19 Testing?
COVID-19 tests detect either the SARS-CoV-2 virus, biomarkers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, or antibodies that the body makes after being infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Some of these tests can detect current COVID-19 infection while others can tell if you were infected with COVID-19 in the past or are vaccinated against COVID-19.
What are COVID-19 Vaccines?
COVID-19 vaccines help the body create antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus which boosts your ability to fight off COVID-19 infection. Being vaccinated against COVID-19 is a safer and more reliable way to build protection than being infected with COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be both safe and highly effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death related to COVID-19. You cannot get COVID-19 from the COVID-19 vaccine.
What are COVID-19 Variants?
Viruses are always changing and adapting to their environment. They do this through a process called mutation. Sometimes mutations result in a new variant of the virus. Some variants disappear quickly while others may persist and spread widely. Scientists at the CDC and other public health organizations monitor all variants of COVID-19 in the United States and across the world. Even if a variant causes less severe disease in general, if it spreads rapidly, the large increase in the number of cases could cause an increase in hospitalizations, put strain on the healthcare system, and possibly lead to more deaths.
DISCLAIMER
Save Other Souls is not a medical provider or a law firm or a substitute for either. Any discussion about medical or legal issues on this website is informational only and subject to change. For updated information about COIVD-19, please visit the CDC website, or your state Department of Health.
For state-by-state requirements for witnesses and notarizing Advance Directives, please check resources in your state which may be found through the American Bar Association, or through your medical provider or lawyer. For specific medical or legal advice, please contact your medical providers or lawyer.