Yes, Imagine
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
During these tough times, music is a great convener and healer for everyone. I recently sat down at the piano to play this song, which is dedicated to my NIH family. The song is a variation on John Lennon’s classic tune, “Imagine,” with some new words from Carrie Wolinetz, NIH’s Associate Director for Science Policy. My wife Diane Baker is the videographer, her cell phone holding steady in our music room. When the COVID-19 outbreak is all over, the thing that we’ll remember the most is how everyone pulled together to make a difference in the world. That day will come. Yes, Imagine.
I imagine we can all dream that this Crisis will end sooner than later! In the meanwhile, Dr. Collins, keep singing and bringing hope to the World! Keep singing loudly, and IMAGINE a world without
Covid19 !
Thanks for bringing us hope through your music!
Sending prayers for you and NIH.
Excellent version of Imagine and a very important one in our sad times.
THanks!! I have a version of DOn’t worry be happy – one verse
There’s a virus going round,
A pandemic has got us down
But don’t worry – Be happy
Worry will bring your resistanc edown and you’ll catch every disease in town so
DOn’t worry, be happy
My concern is that by continuing to shut down the economy, we are dooming a half billion people around the world to $2 or less a day absolute poverty and the high child death rates that go with it – Oxfam estimate
The choice is not $ or lives, it is America elderly vs poor children – money saves lives (children can get food and vaccines) – If 10% of that 500 million are uder age 5 and the mortality rate is aout 10% that equals 5 million children! (morality rate is 2-4% in wealthy nations, in poorer nations it is over 10%). The global death toll for COVID19 is predicted to be about half or less of that, with smart behaviors including health workers living in hotels and antibody treatment and vaccines are fast tracked it could be under 300,000 since most deaths are in upper age groups.
We can save BOTH –
1. Vulnerable populations continue to stay inside while younger workers return to the economy
2. Long term care facility workers CANNOT go home – go to nearby hotels – they are bringing COVID into the facilities partly becasue they are lower hourly wage and cannot afford to stay home when they don’t feel well
3. Take the elderly that can be cared for by family temporarily out of these facilites Use window fans for positive air pressure so family does not infect them. Many are in care facilites because their close family works and cannot stay home to care for them – but now millions are out of work and can care
4. those that cannot work from home should go to work
5. warmer weather allows restaurants to do more open air seating and take out – my plan for Mother’s Day
6. As more younger people get exposed and produce antibodies there will be more herd immunity and younger people will not be overloading the healthcare system since most cases are mild or asymptomatic.
R. Paul Mason has some good ideas. Here’s mine:
1. Police should give hospitals some of their massive stockpile of riot (gas) masks; these are P100 filter equipped (>99.97% filtration), and cover the eyes, and are highly re-usable (can easily be cleaned), unlike the wimpy N95 masks (95% filtration, if properly fitted, which they almost never are — and which nurses fiddle with 25 times per shift, according to a study on the CDC website). You can’t touch your face with the full-face mask on (properly tightened). Cotugno infectious disease hospital in Naples Italy is using these simple negative pressure masks (not the battery powered positive air pressure ones), and is having great success at avoiding healthcare worker infections.
2. early treatment, starting on day 1 of symptoms, with an antiviral or chloroquine or whatever is considered the best available treatment, should be the main focus of all treatment, given virtually all medical papers tout the rapid progression to severe illness for those who will die, as marked by (a) high d-dimer (>2ug/mL) levels by day 4 after onset of symptoms, and (b) low probability of reversal, even when employing the most advanced and comprehensive medical care for cases that rapidly become critical. Therefore, resources should shift mostly towards early treatment rather than the current paradigm of avoiding all treatment until the case is severe, which is not only unnecessary, it is a huge waste and misdirection of resources.
3. improvement to baseline immunity should be strengthened by urgent attention to educating the mass public with underlying conditions on how to do everything possible to make major improvements to overall health. This pandemic has been with us 6 months, and it might be with us 6 years or 6 decades, so underlying conditions and overall health are critical to address the overall effects of this pandemic in a comprehensive way.
Awesome message! Thank you!!! Most of my family members are healthcare providers.
We can always use moments of humor like this! Go ahead Dr. Collins. We heard you end on a high note! Let me know when your musical tour starts…after this is all over I assume!
Inspirational to see this dedicated scientist offer hope thru music!
I first saw this video this past spring and keep re-listening to it to keep up my spirits. Now it’s November and I’m still listening! Thank you.
Great job, here is one I did as a short NIH parody of The Bare Naked Ladies song “Pinch Me”. “It’s the perfect time of year somewhere far away from here, and I feel fine enough I guess, even though my blood counts are a mess! and the nurses here sure are sweet, and the service they offer up can’t be beat, the doctor’s also are very swell though some of the tests they order up, sure hurt like hell! And I could drive but I’ll just fly, the NIH travel office gets me high! Joseph Cancemi NIH hairy cell leukemia patient, 10+ yrs remission to Dr Kreitman and his NIH team!