No, don’t willfully expose yourself to coronavirus just because you want to get it out of the way - cleveland.com

sambitasa.blogspot.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohioans have spent nearly two months confined to their homes to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Yet the virus is slowly, persistently infecting people, with estimates that up to 70 percent of the American population will eventually contract COVID-19.

So as summer nears, and people are looking for a way out, they may wonder, wouldn’t it be better just to get it now and get it over with?

If the goal is to build up a herd immunity, why not get together around people with the disease to catch it and move on, much like parents used to do with children who had the chickenpox?

While doctors understand the basic logic of the idea, based on the inevitability of the disease, it’s a bad idea for two big reasons: You could die, and you could overwhelm the health care system.

“The chickenpox party approach, I think it’s a really bad idea,” said Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials in other states such as Washington have heard reports of such parties, though have not linked any cases to them, according to The New York Times.

While the people most at risk for the virus are those over 65 or with pre-existing medical conditions, some young, perfectly healthy patients have become gravely ill and even died. It’s a low percentage, but the risk is there.

“You’re basically playing Russian roulette,” said University Hospitals Dr. Amy Edwards, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases. “And yes the odds are low (of serious illness or death). But isn’t it better to wear your mask and social distance until we can figure this out?

“I understand how painful this is,” Edwards continued. “But so’s dying, I hear.”

Fellow UH Dr. Keith Armitage, who specializes in infectious diseases, said the number of deaths in Ohio and nationwide would be exponentially higher if more residents took this approach. Yes, the percentage of people who died would be comparatively low, but the United States has nearly 330 million people. One percent of 330 million is 3.3 million.

“I think to get to 80 percent herd immunity could lead to more than a million deaths in the United States,” Armitage said.

Such tactics could also overwhelm the nation’s hospital systems. Stay-at-home orders aimed to save lives by not overwhelming emergency rooms and intensive care units.

“This was never about stopping coronavirus,” Edwards said. “What is was about was making sure we had enough hospital capacity to keep coronavirus from overwhelming us.”

That’s what Ohio has accomplished in recent weeks, as the number of people who have tested positive for the virus is much lower than other states. The state 21,576 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, with 1,225 confirmed deaths. Of those, 4,052 required hospitalizations and 1,151 were admitted into intensive care units.

Now, as hospitals have prepared and stocked personal protective equipment, the state is beginning to reopen. The number of cases may jump – but hopefully not to the point where hospitals can’t treat everyone who needs treating.

"What we would like is this infection to spread at a slower rate, so we can respond accordingly,” said Dr. Michael Oglesbee, director of the Infectious Diseases Institute at Ohio State University.

Edwards pointed to Italy as a horror scenario. Hospitals were so overrun that not only could coronavirus patients not get the help they needed, but others who needed care for, say, a heart attack or a car accident also could not get it.

“We need to all get it,” Edwards said of the virus. “We just need to all get it slowly and carefully so the medical system can handle all these cases. And we can continue to provide medical care for heart attacks and strokes and cancer.”

Slowing down the infection rate has another benefit: giving researchers and doctors more time to develop treatments and maybe a vaccine.

Besser, now the president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said at least one antiviral drug is showing some success, referencing Remdesivir.

“And hopefully over time there will be more," Besser said. "So delaying when you might get this, from that perspective, is a good thing.”

Many cleveland.com readers who responded to the topic on Subtext agreed with doctors.

“Also, I'd wait and see the roll in of data showing permanent damage caused by recovered Covid people and wait for data results confirming that immunity is scientifically established,” one texter wrote. “Bummer if one could get it twice.”

“No, because some portion of the healthy, low risk population will get extremely sick and need health care,” another one texted. "A very small percentage. But there are a LOT of low risk people. Small percentage times a huge number is still a big number, a number too big for our healthcare system to handle.”

Unlike the doctors, though, a few said it was food for thought.

“An old wives tale says when one kid in the neighborhood got the measles, moms would send all their kids out to play,” one texter sent. “Everyone gets it and gets it over with. Agree it's a bad idea, but certainly interesting.”

Cleveland.com Managing Producer Laura Johnston contributed to this story.

Editor Chris Quinn asked the question our from-the-newsroom text account, in which he shares once or twice a day what we’re thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up for free by sending a text to 216-868-4802.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"want" - Google News
May 07, 2020 at 05:15PM
https://ift.tt/3bdQT7A

No, don’t willfully expose yourself to coronavirus just because you want to get it out of the way - cleveland.com
"want" - Google News
https://ift.tt/31yeVa2
https://ift.tt/2YsHiXz

Bagikan Berita Ini