Russ's Ravings: Just. Wash. Your. Hands.

There was a new wrinkle in the check-in for my routine lab work at Sloan Kettering this week. Usually they confirm my name and date of birth. But this week there was a new question.

"Have you travelled out of the country in the last two weeks?"

That caught my attention. So did the sight of so many people in medical masks. Obviously unless you have been living under a rock the world is focused on the coronavirus. This fast spreading new strain, COVID19, is literally popping up around the globe and it has people incredibly nervous.

And I have to say, I am one of them.

Not because I am a germaphobe or a tin foil hat wearing conspiracy nut. Because since my brain surgery in January, I am compromised. I won't get sicker easier than anyone else, but if I DO get sick I will need to take some supplemental medicine to fight it off. And those supplemental medicines are less than pleasant.

So, I took an extra pump of hand sanitizer from the desk and sat down. This was Monday morning. At that time there were no cases in New Jersey (as of this writing there are four) and the relative panic was at a low level.

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The next morning I received a message from my doctor telling me I should avoid places like the gym.

While I was at the gym.

Literally on the elliptical machine gasping for air like a seal with a lung puncture and sweating like a man who had been trapped in a sauna with a broken door lock.

I should have known something was up, because while checking in at the gym, there was a new procedure. For the past 15 years or so whenever I shambled into Planet Fitness I would hand over my prodigious key ring and they would scan in my key tag. Once they were sure the jowls in the photo matched the jowls on my face they would hand it back to me and I would be on my way.

"Enjoy your workout!" they would say.

"Never!" I'd reply.

But on Tuesday they wouldn't take my keys from me. In fact, they stood behind the counter wearing gloves and holding the scanner out facing me. I scanned in my own key tag.

"Was this your idea?" I asked.

"Corporate sent an email," they answered.

By that afternoon I was seeing reports of hand sanitizer and bottled water being sold out. Then soon after private community Facebook boards began mocking those making those purchases while yoga pants wearing Moms who don't vaccinate shared a recipe for making their own out of essential oils.

By Wednesday I heard health care providers say they had to lock up their supply of masks because patients were stealing them. Then suddenly cases began popping up closer to home. People were angry.

The schools are doing too little!

The schools are overreacting!

This is all the media's fault!

This is being done to draw attention from the fact that measles went away without a vaccine!

Its an election year, that is why this is happening!

And despite the fact that there was clear guidance being shared, a lot of nonsense kept being spewed by people in the area.

I am NOT ordering Chinese food!

I am self-isolating and rearranging my entire life!

It is human nature to want to control what can't be controlled. If you buy all the toilet paper in Costco and make yourself a Mummy-suit then maybe you feel a little better about an illness we don't have much we can do to stop.

I know when I was diagnosed with my brain tumor I micromanaged everything to feel as if I had some control over my life. Household chores, work, anything I could exert control over to make it seem like I had a say in my own destiny.

But here, in this case, there is literally some things you can do very simply to minimize your risk. So when doctors, people who have dedicated their lives to fighting illness, lay down some guidelines you may want to follow them. Like these:

• Stay home if you are sick;
• Limit close contact with people who are sick;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth;
• Avoid handshakes. Try an elbow bump;
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol;
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces;
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve (not your hands);
• Get a flu shot to prevent the flu if you have not done so this season.

Life is all about increasing your odds. You exercise to reduce your chance of a heart attack or stroke. But that isn't foolproof. You get the flu shot to reduce your chance of getting the flu.

Yes, I know sometimes it isn't 100 percent effective. You know what is 100 percent ineffective? Not getting the shot. And if you aren't getting the flu you are freeing up essential services for people who need the treatment.

So wash your hands. Please.

And try to stay calm. We will get through this like we've gotten through the Black Plague and SARS and Bird-Flu and Swine-Flu. But with the information we have available today, we may be able to contain it quicker by employing some common sense.

Russ Crespolini is a Field Editor for Patch Media, adjunct professor and college newspaper advisor. His columns have won awards from the National Newspaper Association and the New Jersey Press Association.

He writes them in hopes of connecting with readers and engaging with them. And because it is cheaper than therapy. He can be reached at russ.crespolini@patch.com