June 22nd, 2020
1) In a news piece published in Nature a few days ago, the authors looked at the volume of people globally that are at risk of a worsened outcome from COVID disease. They propose that 1.7 billion people worldwide are at increased risk of having difficulty with SARS2 because they have at least 1 comorbidity associated with risk. They further predict 350 million hospitalizations based on their modeling. (a clear guesstimate based on known comorbid risk factors currently in circulation)
2) There is a 12 fold increase in the risk of death if a person has 1 or more comorbid chronic illnesses like diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome or cancer. (Stokes et. al. 2020)
3) Surfaces tested for viral particles in the homes of infected individuals proves that transmission from surfaces is less than ideal and likely rarely happening. We should vigorously continue hand washing for 20 seconds routinely, but be grateful that this mode of transmission is uncommon. They state, "No statistically significant correlation between PCR-positive environmental samples and the extent of infection spread inside the household could be observed. No infectious virus could be isolated under cell culture conditions." (Dohla et. al. 2020)
4) Risk of a worsened infectious illness with any viral infection is related to dose of viral pathogen exposure. Avoiding large viral doses is a quality strategy for survival. (Rabinowitz et. al. 2020)
My take on all of this is this:
a) Keep washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds while you always avoid touching your face.
b) If you are exposed to SARS2 and around other people at home, wear a mask while you quarantine whether you are sick or not until you are cleared as this is becoming more and more likely the route of major transmission.
c) Devote all of your energies to self care through proper nutrition, movement, stress reduction and toxin avoidance.
Nature Articles
Stokes MMWR Report
Dohla Medrxiv Article
Rabinowitz NYTimes Article
