Love in the Wake of COVID-19

In 2019, the third of three coronavirus scourges struck the world. This was variously named, but was equally devastating under each of its monikers, starting with SARS-Co-V2 and settling on COVID-19. The first case of this came about on the very same day in two very different countries, the United States, and in South Korea; each country reacted dissimilarly. The cast in the book includes a set of twins attending a prep school in New England and the opening of the story finds them understandably concerned since their family back in Korea is in quarantine. Two love stories carry us through a few months where the virus becomes a major interfering player, and the information about that culprit is gradually spoon fed while enjoying the evolution of love in such a troubled time. And, as we follow the evolution of that love, we go through a disentangling of the pandemic's sister, a misinfodemic.

This book, "Love in the Wake of COVID-19." accurately depicts the evolution and understanding of a pandemic caused by the third invasion of the coronavirus while integrating it into an intriguing novella. On the one hand, we have the pandemic, the past history of the two similar family scourges, SARS-1 and MERS, the unfortunately neglected knowledge previously gained through veterinary medicine, and the subsequently rather predictable "MO" or modus operandi of this family. As a contrapuntal theme, we have a plethora of bad information, incorrect expectation, and dangerous suggestion which mislead well-meaning and frightened people, a "misinfodemic." All this is seen through the eyes of young adults and interpreted by them so that they, and lay folk like them, understand – with fear, curiosity, wonder – and eventually some feeling of reassurance. At the same time, there is an autistic lad who would like to be closer to people but has found trees to be a safer refuge … until an unusual young woman comes upon the scene. And, a young Korean man, trying to enjoy the pleasures of a prolonged adolescence, is taken with an American girl who had to grow up too quickly. The development of the love between these individuals carries the story and softens the blow of the virus.

Dr. Prescott has previously published in novel, short story, and poetry formats. Additionally, he has published clinical and research articles in the fields of immunology and embryology as well as unusual presentations of clinical diseases. He was in the Phi Kappa Phi Honor society in undergraduate school where he studied creative writing while majoring in psychology and fulfilling premedical requirements. He attended McGill University, Faculty of Medicine, where he was president of the honor society there, Alpha Omega Alpha. He did five years of research in basic immunology and embryology concomitant with his four years of medical school and following year of internship. After that, he did a fellowship in neuro-psychiatry at The Institute of Living. Dr. Prescott then established a family practice in Storrs Connecticut where he, and those who later joined him, taught for a half dozen medical schools. He held board certifications and recertifications as well as a number of fellowships. He wrote one of the early texts and taught a course for Nurse Practitioners and taught a variety of courses for nurses, doctors, and Physician's Assistants. He has been dedicated to the practice of medicine and teaching of student, nurse, doctor, and patient alike.