Some COVID-19 notes from today’s Reddit AMA with a bunch of doctors tracking the virus:
• A few infected folks are asymptomatic. They test positive and are infected but have no symptoms.
• Around 80% of people infected will have a mild illness, low-grade fever and mild cough for a few days.
• The virus spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets, tiny drops of mucous that spray into the air when we cough or sneeze. Virus has been detected in stool; may be spread via fecal-oral contamination—germs that get on hands are bathroom usage and that then make their way to the mouth. (Wash your hands!)
• There is a vaccine candidate ready to test. (My understanding is that it was developed for SARS and after the COVID-19 genome was sequenced, they were able to sort of drop it in to the vaccine.—Ty) Clinical trials will take 12 to 18 months. There are a lot of other vaccines in the pipeline as well but nothing imminent.
• We don’t have data yet on how long this particular virus lives on surfaces. Plenty of other factors, including temperature, humidity, type of surface, etc. Relatively easy to disinfect surfaces, though. (See CDC resources here: https://www.cdc.gov/…/commu…/home/cleaning-disinfection.html)
• Secondary attack rate among family members of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US is 10.5%. That means about 1 in 10 family members who have been exposed by a relative have gotten sick.
• There is no real chance to stop the global spread at this point. China has done amazing work to mitigate spread. The world may have to make similar decisions (like quarantining whole cities) to limit spread.
• 60% of adults in the US have an underlying condition, which puts them at higher risk of infection and severity of infection. No info yet on increased risk of one underlying condition versus another.
• Wearing masks will not reduce a person’s chance of acquiring COVID-19. If you have COVID-19, wearing a mask will reduce the chance of you spreading it to others.
• “The most important ways to slow down the spread of these types of infectious diseases is to 1) identify infected people, 2) keep them separate from non-infected people, 3) track any close contacts to test them and keep them away from the general population as well– a lot of this is based on how infectious and dangerous a particular pathogen (germ) is. At this time, the hope is that governments will work closely with the public and their public health infrastructure to make these decisions in the most effective way possible. As responsible citizens we should demand accurate information from our governments and “socially isolate†if we feel sick or know that we have been exposed to someone who is sick. Informing your healthcare provider right away is key.”
• Incubation period seems to be about 5-7 days in most; generally not longer than 14 days. Rarely incubation of up to 24 days.
• Pregnant women do not seem to be at any higher risk of infection or more severe disease.
• “I think there is significant community transmission in many communities in the West Coast. When we do more testing we will find more cases.”
• There is a lot of misinformation out there. See WHO page for some “myth busting.” https://www.who.int/…/novel-…/advice-for-public/myth-busters
• Will almost everyone eventually be infected according to disease spread models? No.
• Is it possible for a person to be re-infected with the virus? Currently too little information to say.
