Some facts about COVID-19.
England now holds the unenviable position of having the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 per capita in the world. How did this happen? Over the next few posts I will express some of my views on this topic. But to get started, I’ll outline some things that we do know:
1) The primary method of transmission of COVID-19 is airborne transmission. Without going into the details of particle size, e.g. droplets vs aerosols, this means that social distancing and mask wearing cuts the risk of transmission.
2) “Face coverings” are not the same as “face masks”. Surgical masks, FFP respirators and multiple layer cloth masks with a filter insert provide much more protection to both the wearer and others than scarves, buffs etc. In fact, there is some evidence to show that thin face coverings are worse than none at all when worn by an asymptomatic carrier.
3) Although very infectious, the amount of exposure to the covid-19 virus that will cause an individual to contract the disease varies from person to person, and it is even more difficult to ascertain how much will cause severe symptoms. However, the greater the exposure, the greater the risk!
4) There has been research that suggests that Vitamin D deficiency leads to an increased risk of serious symptoms leading to the need for oxygen or a respirator.
5) The vaccine alone will not solve all our problems. More on this later …
6) Dogs are being trained to sniff out people infected with covid-19 with fantastic accuracy. Why on earth are they not being used in places such as airports, stations, schools etc?