Covid19 Unanswered Questions

There are a few things on my mind that I would like to address involving the Covid19/Coronavirus Pandemic.  There is information all over the place, on TV, in magazines, in newspapers and on the Internet, but I cannot get a solid fix on certain things.  Sometimes I feel I am dealing with melting Jello.

Let’s look at testing.  As I understand it, the tests to see if someone is or has been infected in the past by the coronavirus, report what they find as of the time of the test.  A negative test result, as reassuring as it might be, is meaningless if the next day, that person is infected by contact with a droplet of the virus.  Should we be tested daily? What about symptomless individuals (someone not manifesting significant Covid19 symptoms like cough, extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, high temperatures, or other flu-like symptoms) who really are positive but deluded by an earlier negative test result.  A real danger!  That is, if all who are positive can spread the virus, but is that the case?  Are all those who were exposed on beaches recently and are positive out there spreading the virus?  I don't know.

I understand that for statistical purposes for what they call modelling, an effort to predict the virus’ future course, testing is valuable.  But I question the test’s value to the individual.   A negative test result is no substitute for a mask.

We hope that those who test positive, symptomless or not, acquire a degree of immunity from future infection … but so far, we have no solid evidence on this, despite tests supposedly designed to provide an answer.  You hear about testing for anti-bodies that accomplish this, but without real evidence.

Another thing that perplexes me are the statistics to which we are exposed daily.  Being told that there have been 95,000 Covid19 deaths in the United States along with about 1,500,000 cases does not distinguish what the makeup of those 1,500,000 cases actually is.  Do they include everyone who tests positive for Covid19, with or without symptoms, or do they refer only to those with real symptoms of the disease described above.  Do they reflect only those requiring hospitalization?  Statistics, which we depend on 50 different States to provide, may differ in defining what is a “case.”  Watch TV for a few hours to see if you can get any real answers to these questions. 

Finally, I feel the future (two or three years down the pike) will include testing at all schools, restaurants, workplaces, stores, recreation areas, theatres, beaches, gathering places, stadiums, etc. for all people entering and leaving them.  All people entering and leaving such facilities will have to walk through the same kind of gate we all walk through before entering an airliner.  We have been doing that already at concerts and sporting events, looking for weapons.  Covid19 is a dangerous weapon and deserves such screening. 

Then we will know who, for the moment, is positive and who is negative.  Such knowledge will be essential in dealing with a recurrence of the disease.  What specific action the results of such scanning brings about is another question entirely.  

Should a restaurant seat someone who is positive or claiming to be untested, but symptomless? Are the Atlantic Avenue restaurants in Delray all following the same practice?

Feel free to share your thoughts with me.  (Jacklippman18@gmail.com)  Next time around, maybe, the blog will look at the economic impact of Covid19.

                                                             *   *   *

What ever happened to Dr. Fauci?  Don't see him around much anymore.