The Latina Summit 2020 conferences had a fitting closing with a presentation on the COVID-19 coronavirus, an online event organized by Hispanic Media with the support of Independence Blue Cross.
The Understanding COVID-19 presentation was given by Elly Maldonado, Nursing and Wellspan Health System and Adjunct Facility at PA College of Health Sciences for Penn Med LGH will try to answer. Lissy G, El Sol Latino’s Digital Host was the moderator.
Maldonado spoke about her experience as a coronavirus survivor and offered advice to the audience as COVID-19 cases have re-emerged in Philadelphia and the United States.
During her work during the pandemic, Maldonado has lived difficult experiences. One of the most emotional moments she had was with a Latino from New York who moved to Philadelphia.
“This Latino’s whole family got COVID-19. His daughter’s husband died; his son died,” she lamented.
In these times it is crucial to understand the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic that changed the daily dynamics of the country and the world.
More than 12 million cases and at least 250,000 deaths have been reported in the United States.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 59,256,310 people have been infected worldwide. In total, nearly 1.4 million people have died.
Maldonado recommended to be tested again for coronavirus within 3 months, once the infection curve has dropped.
In the conversation with Lissy G, Maldonado described what she experienced after she got COVID-19, after going to a gathering with her husband at a friend’s house.
“I didn’t have a fever, just a congested nose, but I thought it was because of the weather. The entire family tested positive for COVID-19. That Saturday I attended classes. My students and I wore masks. On Monday I tested positive. I had no sense of taste or smell,” she recalled.
She immediately collapsed in bed. On Tuesday her son took her to hospital where she was nebulized. “By Friday I couldn’t breathe anymore,” she said.
Elly Maldonado thanked the nurses. While she was in the Intensive Care Unit she was treated with “great” care.
Most major U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, have announced the return of coronavirus restrictions implemented early in the pandemic, but relaxed as the number of COVID-19 cases was brought under control.
Maldonado is aware that prevention is crucial. Failure to take action to prevent the spread could lead to more deaths and a crisis in the hospital system that could be surpassed by increased coronavirus contagion.
Successful cycle of conferences
The Latina Summit 2020 conference cycle began on November 13 with the presentation Open Enrollment by Raúl Aquino, representing IBX, who explained the benefits of having good health insurance.
Yvette Peña, Vice president and Multicultural Leader at AARP, continued the session discussing the term Latin X and its relevance to the Hispanic community.
On November 20, Dr. Jabal Uffelman, MD from RejuvChip, was in charge of explaining during the Latina Wellness presentation the benefits of physical well-being to stay young and energetic.
Then, four successful women: Madeline Neris Negron, Founder MARI-SAL’S; Jazmín DeJesus, Emerging Founder & Managing Market Mentor at MONAT; Jennifer Gómez Hardy, President Hispanic Bar Association of Philadelphia; and Lola Harper, Deputy Commerce Director, Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity, told their entrepreneurship stories at Latinas in Business.
Translated by: José Espinoza