Staying away from each other has become crucial to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Public health officials have instructed us to practise social distancing, stay home, avoid crowds, and refrain from touching one another.

Multimorbidity, the co-occurrence of two or more disease conditions (2+), manifests itself in manifold challenges in the present-day health management of patients. Multimorbidity has been one of the most complex phenomena in health care systems around the world in recent times.

On a recent road trip I had occasion to use a rest-stop washroom. As I washed my hands I noted the instructions above the sink encouraging hand washing to prevent influenza and other infectious diseases, and then I turned to leave. To exit the washroom I had to pull on the handle of a heavy metal door. Being familiar with the saying that the doorknob is the second-dirtiest part of the washroom, I pondered my options for a germ-free exit.

31 March 2020

By the time this editorial, written at the end of March, makes it to print, it will be hopelessly out of date. I hope that my fears today do not become our reality when this is read in the May issue of the BCMJ. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, today’s reality for many front-line physicians consists of virtual office visits, virtual meetings, virtual contact with friends and loved ones, and virtually being on the edge of panic every day.