Covid 19 Updates
As of March 21, 2020, the coronavirus has caused 11,201 deaths in 185 different countries, according to the World Health Organization. It has been declared a pandemic. It is recommended to reduce travel and interactions with others. The symptoms are consistent with those of acute respiratory illnesses, meaning fever, severe cough, and shortness of breath. Many places are calling for self quarantines and social distancing in order to “flatten the curve”. Flattening the curve is referring to reducing transmission rates in order to allow healthcare facilities the time to better prepare for the crisis. More time will allow better chances of developing a vaccine or a cure, and allows hospitals to become better equipped with more supplies, such as masks and ventilators.
PREVENTION, PREVENTION, PREVENTION
According to the CDC, there is no vaccine or cure at the moment, then our best defense is to prevent the spread of the disease. The virus is spread through large droplets, so remaining 6 feet away from others at all times decreases the risk of inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected individual. This why the concept of social distancing is beneficial. In addition, frequently washing hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds is another great defense. This coupled with not touching your face will help reduce the amount of droplets from surfaces brought to your nose and mouth from your hands. Properly covering your coughs and sneezes, such as coughing into your elbow, will help reduce the spread of droplets to other surfaces and people. Staying home if you believe you are infected is greatly recommended.
My Take
The coronavirus has drastically changed my day to day life, but I do not feel like I have the right to complain about it since neither myself nor my family has it (that we know of) and there are many people facing much more drastic consequences than myself. I have been practicing social distancing since I returned from a trip to Peru (to a region that still has no cases) on March 14. I have been staying indoors, except to take my dogs on a walk. It is extremely frustrating to see other college students disregard the pandemic and continue traveling and going out and not practicing social distancing. It is also frustrating to watch people freak out and buy absurd amounts of toilet paper or surgical masks, when what the world needs is for everyone to wash their hands and not touch their face and practice social distancing. I am extremely glad to be taking microbiology this semester to get Dr. Cramer’s perspective on all of this.
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