By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Dr. Roger Marshall did his best to put on both his doctor hat and his Congressman hat in a conference call with the media Thursday morning.
"I think we're doing a good job," Marshall said. "Our local health departments are doing a great job of tracking down contacts and mitigating the spread of this virus. We're actually in better shape than I thought we would be. It's going to get worse before it gets better. Like, the President said last night, we're going to practice an overabundance of caution."
The populations that have been shown to be vulnerable should exercise caution.
"I think the schools can stay open for now," Marshall said. "No child under the age of 9 has died from this virus. Most children will have minimal symptoms, probably for two or three days, like a cold, for all practical purposes. On the other hand, if you're over the age of 60, if you have a medical problem. If you have a heart condition, a lung condition, if you have COPD, if your asthma's uncontrolled, if you have diabetes, you probably ought to be staying home."
At this point, it's about keeping the statistics at a level the medical community can absorb until new therapies finish development.
"We need to focus all of our efforts right now on flattening the curve on the health of people," Marshall said. "Making sure that when people do get sick, when they need to be in the ICU, that doctors and nurses have what they need and making sure we have plenty of test kits out there, making sure that the health departments are able to track down the contacts."
Marshall said the most important thing we can do for the economy is keep Americans at work by making sure that the curve of illness slows.