To whom it may concern,

It is no surprise that my life has been revolving around COVID-19 for the past month or so. The hospitals have daily meetings about new action plans, social media has not stopped "informing" the public on new information, and the news sounds like a horrifying broken record. I'm not going to sit here and say I have no concerns about COVID-19 or lie and say that even as a clinician it doesn't make me nervous, because it does.

I am constantly nervous.

Not for myself, because I know that I am young and healthy, but for those that I surround myself with. We all know when illness goes around, those with suppressed immune systems usually get hit the hardest — babies, elderly, lung patients, heart patients, diabetics, etc.

I work with these people. These are my patients. I am scared for them.

I have nieces and a nephew. I am with them all the time. I am nervous for them.

My actions and decisions will affect these people.

Working in a hospital, I am reminded of this every single day. I'm reminded of how our actions affect those around us. How mistakes can cost us lives, how carelessness cannot be a part of our vocabulary, and how precautions are the center of most — if not all — things we do. Going into work with a fever and "pushing through" the day is never an option. Not because I'm a baby, but because I realize the expectations of my patients. I realize that they rely on me, to be honest with them as well as with myself.

They expect me to take time off if I am not feeling well, because even the common cold is deadly to them.

I am not here to get technical or get into the topic of whether or not COVID-19 is worse than the flu or anything like that. My opinion on that is dispensable — we all have our own thoughts and views, none of which matter to the point I'm trying to make.

One thing I think almost anyone reading this can agree on is that lives, of others and themselves, are important.

If you have grandparents, children, cousins that have illnesses, aunts with diabetes or brothers who are obese. If you are a school teacher. If you work at a restaurant. If you are a delivery person. If you are a janitor. If you are a coach. If you have a career. If you are a student. If you are homeless.

No matter what your situation, your actions have always and will always affect those around you. It's something we almost never take ownership of, but today — right now — we need to.

The world needs us to do better.

I am not just talking about washing your hands and staying home from work, I am talking about being kind. I'm talking about thinking of others, not just yourself.

I cannot tell you how disgusted I have been walking through the grocery stores this past week. The frozen meat is gone. Bread is gone. Canned goods are gone. Lysol is gone. Hand sanitizer is gone. I just cannot wrap my mind around it.

This is the result of your actions. A result of your decisions.

I am ashamed. I am nervous. I am scared of COVID-19. Not for me, but for my patients. For my nieces and nephew. And now, I have to be nervous about them in an entirely different way, too. Because now the diapers and wipes are all gone. Formula disappeared. Disinfectant is nowhere to be found. Toilet paper is unheard of. Why is this? Because we have become careless, we have made mistakes and we have negated all the precautions that we were given. We have let down our community. We have let down our neighbors' expectations and honestly, our own expectations.

I am going to say it again. We need to do better.

Get the supplies you NEED. Leave the rest there. I don't want to hear the cliche excuse of, "Well everyone else has done it so I need to take care of myself." If you aren't part of the solution then you are part of the problem.

With the next shipments that are coming in with the stores, please be mindful of those who need the items you are getting. 800 masks, 60 bottles of hand sanitizer and 80 rolls of toilet paper are not going to keep you safe. The likeliness of you going through all that frozen chicken is low. Your can opener will probably break before you get a chance to crack open half of those cans. What's done is done. I'm not telling you to return all your items because, at this point, it does have different germs on it. But maybe keep an eye out for your neighbor in need. Let your coworkers know. If they are worried and can't find something, offer it out. It does not take a lot of effort to be kind to one another.

This virus can take away our health, but it should not take away our humanity.

I truly believe if you are kind to others, mindful of how your actions/decisions affect others, and you keep washing your hands/quarantining when necessary, that COVID-19 will find its way out the door.

With hope,

A concerned healthcare employee