I'm not someone who is prone to emotion when looking at images of politicians holding babies, but I have to admit that the recent video circulating on social media of Barack Obama high-fiving children brought tears to my eyes! I'm not sure exactly why, but I think it has something to do with the interactions in the images feeling so out of place, and the acknowledgment that so much has changed (and not just the American President) with social distancing. The reality that we can no longer be closer than 2 metres to other people — that we are expected to adapt to a ‘new normal’, as though that's normal — is very hard to cope with.
Before continuing I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy to anyone who has lost a family member, friend or colleague to COVID-19. I have been lucky, I don't know anyone who has been affected by the virus, but with over 30 000 deaths in the UK I appreciate that there are many families mourning the loss of a loved one, and my thoughts are with you.
The concept of the ‘new normal’ is quite difficult to comprehend, and it's not surprising that people are finding the current situation a strain on their mental wellbeing, whether furloughed or working. Mental Health UK have put together some advice: remove news update apps from your phone to give yourself a break; keep in contact with family and friends via social media as much as possible, perhaps having virtual coffee; exercise as much as you safely can and enjoy being outside. The link between physical and mental health is undeniable, so keep active, even if you don't feel like it. There are some excellent online yoga classes — why not try one?
Try not to feel guilty if you have been furloughed while your colleagues are left to ‘hold the fort’. Many veterinary practices have been forced to furlough staff, and it is a financial necessity. You can offer your support to working colleagues by checking in with them from time to time to let them know you are thinking of them.
The RCVS Flowchart has been an excellent resource for guiding clinical practice during the pandemic (https://bit.ly/364lumR). Last week the RCVS also published the results of its second economic survey which took place between 1–5 May (the first took place between 3–7 April). The changes are encouraging. Fewer practices are affected by veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses having to self-isolate with suspected COVID or COVID-like symptoms; 20% of respondents were affected in the May survey compared with 30% of respondent practices in the April survey. A majority of respondent practices (69%) were seeing a reduced caseload, including some routine work, while 26% had limited their caseload to emergencies only; in the April survey, the overwhelming majority of respondent practices (97%) had limited their caseloads to emergency or urgent cases only. This change may be attributed to the RCVS Flowchart, which was released on 9 April. There has been an improvement in practice turnover with the most frequent response (46%) being that there had been a 25–50% drop in turnover, while just 6% of practices reported a more than 75% reduction in turnover; in the April survey 42% of respondents reported a 51–75% fall in turnover, while 24% of respondents reported a fall in turnover of more than 75%. This is good news for veterinary practices, and with lockdown easing, even just a little, I hope the next survey will show even greater improvement.
In the meantime while we are all getting used to the ‘new normal’ keep safe, look after your friends and family, and above all look after yourself.