COVID-19 Interest Group
March 30, 2020
CIG Bullettin #3
Dear Rotarians
We highly recommend you watch the following video. Dr. David Price at Weill Cornell Medical Center in NYC is an ICU Specialist and probably the most qualified person to speak on this issue. He discusses COVID and the simple steps we can take to avoid it. He's very reasoned and calm in his
approach. Very reassuring. I think it's worth taking the time to listen to him and share the video with your friends and family.
For those of you who want "notes", Eva has kindly summarized his presentation. Synopsis:
1. Infection happens mostly by hand transmission to your own face, mouth, nose, and eye.
2. Aerosol transmission is rare. It requires sustained contact with someone who has the disease to become infected.
3. N95 facemask is not helpful for protection for average persons but should be used by medical personnel only when handling COVID-19 patients.
4. Hording and using N95 masks takes resources from health care workers.
5. Extended (15-30 min) contact is needed to transfer the virus.
6. The best protection is hand sanitizing, not touching face (to learn this, you may use any simple face protection or mask).
7. Use social distancing.
8. Learning the rules (hand washing, not touching your face, and social distancing) may help to safely resume much of normal activities - walking, shopping, etc.
9. Do go to the hospital if you have shortness of breath.
10. Do not go to the hospital or doctor if you have or believe you may have COVID, have a fever, cough. Instead, isolate yourself at home and protect others by washing your hands and use the social distancing rules.
11. People can spread the virus 2-3 days before showing clinical symptoms and through 14 days after infected.
12. Young persons from age 15 and older can get sick, with symptoms typically being more serious with age.
13. The infection and the disease with any degree of symptoms make the body to develop specific antibodies to the virus, resulting in a lasting immune defense. As a result, immune persons do not get re-infected, nor can they be carriers of the virus.