SHILLONG: Learning to live with the COVID-19 virus is an oft heard exhortation. This also means understanding the virus and its behaviour better and effecting behavioural change.
Mainstream television media regularly gets the views of specialists from across the country and abroad to answer questions on coronavirus.
This is vital because COVID is not about daily numbers crunching on how many infections, recoveries and deaths happen every day. People also need to know more about the virus to reinforce new behaviours.
On Tuesday, Dr Monica Gandhi, (MD; MPH), Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, spoke to two news TV channels. Her contention was that universal facial masking might help reduce the severity of disease and ensure that a greater proportion of new infections were asymptomatic.
If this hypothesis is borne out, universal masking could become a form of “variolation” that would generate immunity and thereby slow the spread of the virus in the United States and elsewhere, as the world awaits a vaccine, Gandhi said.
Taking advantage of the presence of the Indian Institute of Public Health established by the Public Health Foundation of India (PFHI) in Shillong and the public health experts there, The Shillong Times posed some commonly raised questions that puzzle the citizens.
Here are the excerpts:
ST: When is the best time to test after having been exposed to a COVID positive person?
IIPH: If someone has been exposed to COVID positive person, it is best to get tested after about 5-7 days of the exposure or if one experiences COVID-like symptoms, whichever is earlier. However, it is advisable to impose self-quarantine immediately as soon as exposure to a COVID positive person is suspected/confirmed, without waiting for a confirmatory test result, in order to minimise the chance of infecting others.
ST: How long does the virus remain on metal surface, plastics, papers and vegetables?
IIPH: Viability of the novel coronavirus varies on different surfaces. For example, the virus can survive for up to four hours on copper surfaces, 24 hours on cardboard surfaces and as long as 72 hours onhard, shiny surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel. Research has also shown that coronavirus can be inactivated within a minute by disinfecting surfaces with products containing 62-71% alcohol. It is, therefore, advisable to disinfect surfaces before touching them or to wash/sanitize hands immediately after touching surfaces that are not sanitised.
ST: Can newspapers carry the virus?
IIPH: Although the risk of getting infected with coronavirus from newspapers and packages that has been moved, travelled and exposed to different conditions are low (as per WHO), it is advisable to wash/sanitize hands before or after reading a newspaper.
ST: How does COVID commonly spread?
IIPH: COVID can be spread through different routes, such as coming in close contact with a COVID-positive person, touching contaminated surfaces (e.g. doorknobs, handrails or contaminated towels/handkerchiefs) or via aerosols (airborne transmission). Also, there are some reports of faecal-oral transmission of COVID, although this is yet to be confirmed.
Research has shown that those in close contact with a COVID positive person (e.g. household contacts, caregivers of COVID positive person) are at the highest risk of getting infected.
ST: Are slums more likely to be super-spreaders of the contagion?
IIPH: Overcrowding, lack of basic hygiene facilities (e.g. lack of regular uninterrupted water supply), general poverty leading to undernutrition, higher risk of exposure from greater number contacts mostly due to their occupation (e.g. vegetable sellers/domestic helps/sanitary workers), and sub-optimal access to healthcare facilities, rather make them the vulnerable victim of the pandemic. The general flow of the outbreak had been from people travelling from outside the country/state to the urban communities and then to the slums (residence of domestic helps etc.), rather than the reverse. Now, the responsibility to cut the chain of transmission lie with each member of the community, irrespective of his/her place of residence or socio-economic status as the virus can transmit either ways.
ST: What is one sound advice to prevent COVID infection? How can we deal with violators?
IIPH: The responsibility to prevent the spread of the virus lies with each member of the community. As people infected with COVID may not exhibit symptoms of the disease and unknowingly transmit to others, one should maintain constant vigil and follow the precautionary measures, such as always wearing a mask in public places, maintaining physical distancing of at least 2 meters (6 feet) and washing/sanitising hands frequently to minimise the risk of infection. If someone develops COVID-like symptoms, he/she should self-isolate until the symptoms disappear or immediately visit a health facility, if symptoms worsen. Although an unfortunate step, penalties should be imposed on those not wearing masks or intentionally violating the prescribed precautionary measures.