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Israeli jeweler makes $1.5m gold coronavirus mask

Life during the novel coronavirus pandemic has been difficult.
				Frankly, the combination of public health crisis and social isolation has been a lot for anyone to navigate with any sense of confidence or assurance. Throw in a laundry list of societal tensions and discord, and moments have been downright maddening.
				But we&rsquo;re resilient, and we&rsquo;re fighting, and we&rsquo;re working hard, and we&rsquo;re hopeful. And the silver lining in any time of great struggle is we&rsquo;re learning. What we have learned and will learn may very well change the way we live for the better.
				For instance, we know the transmission of a respiratory virus of this nature can be slowed by staying physically distant from others, wearing a mask over the mouth and nose whenever among others in public, and maintaining good hand and respiratory-tract hygiene.
				So, those practices will stay with us for a while, at least until the spread of COVD-19 has been controlled through the development and distribution of a viable vaccine.
				I say &ldquo;at least&rdquo; because if you take more than a moment to think about it, these are safety measures that could serve us well whenever we&rsquo;re in the middle of a particularly worrisome virus season. Being vigilant about these safety precautions during a deadlier-than-average flu season, for instance, could go a long way in protecting those in our communities who would be at higher risk for severe symptoms, complications or death.
				Before you take objection, I am not suggesting we wear masks wherever we go every day, even beyond the era of COVID-19. I&rsquo;m simply pointing out that we know these tactics work.
				They&rsquo;ve saved lives and could save many more in times like this and the spaces between. And the truly encouraging thing is, these are not the only things we&rsquo;ve learned during COVID-19 that should stick with us going forward.
				You know that whole &ldquo;if you&rsquo;re sick, you should stay home&rdquo; recommendation? Well, that&rsquo;s something we should not stop taking heed of when we&rsquo;re no longer in the grips of a pandemic. Americans, by nature, are prone to working too hard. We feel almost obligated to be productive no matter the challenges, and we neglect to take care of ourselves.
				And just maybe, if we learned how to take sick days when they&rsquo;re necessary and stay home &mdash; not only to rest and get well but also to avoid infecting others &mdash; we might make flu and cold seasons easier, shorten the lives of those &ldquo;office stomach bugs,&rdquo; and better prepare ourselves for the unforeseen infectious diseases of the future.
				You know what else is promising?
				Public health is not nearly the only discipline that has evolved during our current crisis.
				Hospitals and health systems have made gains in infrastructure. We&rsquo;ve developed methods of screening and triaging patients that will help us manage future emergencies. The adaptations that were born out of necessity during COVID-19 will affect the way intensive care units respond to critical moments ahead of us.
				From the way we deliver care &mdash; via telemedicine these days far more than ever before &mdash; to the way we evaluate what procedures are truly necessary or emergent when other, environmental factors may be presenting more risk than a medical condition, we&rsquo;ve improved the way we treat people when life isn&rsquo;t normal as we know it.
				Furthermore, we&rsquo;ve tested and vetted methods of caring for patients that were experimental when COVID-19 reached our communities but have emerged as valuable and potentially lasting techniques in healthcare.
				We&rsquo;ll get back to this notion in coming weeks, but for now, stay safe, watch out for your loved ones and neighbors, wear your mask, wash your hands, and be well.

Safety never stops