If you were an alien preparing to overcome Earth’s humans, how might you proceed? (Forget the titanic ships and WWII style air battles; most extraterrestrials are not as foolish as Hollywood popcorn sellers.) Might you start with an invisible, microscopic pathogen? Infect without any symptoms? Spread through the air? Confuse the human immune system with […]
Covid-19: Protect Yourself, Know Your Risks
Move Fast Nations that moved quickly to contain Covid-19, even when their societal protections were “weak,” had one eighth (https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-swift-covid-19-lockdowns-more-effective/?srnd=premium&sref=lWBkwdXC) the number of deaths of countries compared to those who moved slowly. That includes Japan, whose model of rolling partial lockdowns, social distancing plus infrequent testing has been scorned by the nation and may lead to […]
Coronavirus Public Health Blog 3.29.20 How to Not Get Sick: the Issue of Viral Load
Who gets sick? Much of Covid-19’s prevalence, severity, and lethality may have to do with viral particles you are exposed to – the issue of viral load. Very little is written on this subject because it is difficult to study, but we can learn a little from studies on flu (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4676262/). In one frequently cited […]