Social distancing required to slow COVID-19 pandemic

SAN ANTONIO (March 25, 2020) — As we continue our battle against the coronavirus and COVID-19 disease, we must be absolutely diligent to maintain social distancing.

Of course, we must also be meticulous about handwashing, cleaning surfaces, and covering coughs and sneezes. But, now that we have entered the phase of community transmission, the mandates regarding social distancing are all the more important.

As we shop for the groceries and medications we need, go out to walk or jog and/or fill our cars with gas, we must not let our guard down. Make an absolute effort to stay six feet away from others.

Social distancing is hard — and it’s hard to sustain. But, without treatments or a vaccine, it’s the single, most effective tool that we have to slow this pandemic.

How we respond — as individuals and as a community — will determine the trajectory of COVID-19 disease in San Antonio and South Texas.

We need your support and commitment to this diligence in order to preserve our health care resources and protect each other.

The life you’re saving could be that of a family member, your closest friend or neighbor — or your own.

Jason Bowling, M.D., infectious diseases specialist with UT Health Physicians, the clinical practice of the Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio

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The Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is named for Texas philanthropists Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long. The school is the largest educator of physicians in South Texas, many of whom remain in San Antonio and the region to practice medicine. The school teaches more than 900 students and trains 800 residents each year. As a beacon of multicultural sensitivity, the school annually exceeds the national medical school average of Hispanic students enrolled. The school’s clinical practice is the largest multidisciplinary medical group in South Texas with 850 physicians in more than 100 specialties. The school has a highly productive research enterprise where world leaders in Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, cancer, aging, heart disease, kidney disease and many other fields are translating molecular discoveries into new therapies. The Long School of Medicine is home to a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center known for prolific clinical trials and drug development programs, as well as a world-renowned center for aging and related diseases.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, dba UT Health San Antonio, is one of the country’s leading health sciences universities and is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. With missions of teaching, research, patient care and community engagement, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have graduated more than 37,000 alumni who are leading change, advancing their fields and renewing hope for patients and their families throughout South Texas and the world. To learn about the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.

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