Discussion
What happens in October Birds is very similar to what happened to us during Covid-19. It's incredibly scary to read in the first chapter how quickly the potential of spreading infection increases. Reading how the initial doctor who was infected had multiple layovers, stopped at different shops and bars, and hotel rooms was scary on his journey to Texas. I have gone on international trips and had several layovers on those trips and now realizing how easy it can be to infect so many people at once then those people going home to their destinations is to infect others. From this reading I learned how important it is to stay isolated if you are sick. I do believe that we have learned social distance from Covid however, I do not think people will take it as seriously as it needs to be. To best stop the spread we need to prioritize quarantine.
From the lectures we’ve learned that infections can spread quickly but to read that within a matter of 1 chapter the number of infections went from 7 to 571 - an incredible rise in numbers within 1 day. Similar to our situation, this viral infection directly impacted the lungs filling them with fluid making it hard to breathe and describes the shortage of ventilators and supplies for children. This book has shown the importance of keeping logs and records as a healthcare professional seeing patients. For example, the school nurse who kept a log of all the students she saw the day the young girl came in coughing. This was helpful in contact tracing and expresses the importance of notifying the possibly infected as soon as possible
Those that are infected are not taking their illness seriously. One lady went to a coffee shop and risked the exposure of everyone there but when confronted by the doctor at the cafe, she broke into tears because she didn’t realize how impactful her selfish decision was and it was risky for those around her that she didn't stay in isolation.
Other similarities seen are that they discuss shutting down the cities however, the mayor is debating the potential loss of revenue and that it's understandable because businesses won't be able to pay their employees and then those employees won't be able to pay rent.
It was really sorrowful reading Nabil’s death. It's hard to imagine what would be done in this situation; I don't know if I would have the tolerance to bury my partner. Knowing the alternative would be him sitting in a body bag in someone's fridge sounds horrific. It forces me to wonder how people cope with their loved ones' deaths in their own homes during our pandemic. I wouldn't be surprised if there were family members currently buried in backyards in San Francisco, especially since the book revealed that the body collection team wouldn't be available to pick up until the next morning.
The character situation that related to me most was the holistic doctor because she genuinely wants to help people and do it the natural way. It was relieving to read that she had some formal medical training yet, she still chose to heal people in her own way. I really enjoyed reading about the home remedies she had for the sick daughter and the priest because I too try to heal things like a cough or sore throat naturally using herbs and roots like ginger. I have a backyard full of plants and vegetables that I love to incorporate in my diet.
October Birds was very relatable to our Covid-19 it was hard for me to find differences. One that I would like to note is that they wanted to start with shutting down schools before anything else.