Friday, 30 April 2021

COVID19 and the myth of asymptomatic transmission


Spoiler, there is no myth.  However, it is more accurate to say that most of those with COVID who have no symptoms are in fact pre-symptomatic as they will go onto develop symptoms later.  It is hard to state this as a fact as this requires extensive research to say so, but working in the NHS, in May last year, I took part in a study looking at this in the NHS.  While none where I work were sent home as a result, some others in local GP surgeries were.  Also before Christmas, in a GP surgery locally, one person who had no symptoms at the time infected those they made cups of tea for, and we know this as they developed symptoms after the tea round and those who had the tea got COVID after!

In September 2020, Donald Trump proved that in what many term the Rose Garden Super Spreader event.  It was held so that President Donald Trump could officially nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the vacant Supreme Court seat before he was voted out of office.  It was outside and this was felt to be safer than holding it indoors.

It was known that his rallies were linked to the spread of COVID, so while many thought that an outdoor event would be safer, the danger of this event was known.

I do not like having to wear a mask, but I know that by wearing one, I reduce the chance of catching this disease, but more importantly, if I have it, by wearing a mask, I am much less likely to spread it.

If those who attended the Rose Garden event had worn masks, less would have been infected.

Last of all, COVID19 is real. People down our road died of it, I have treated those with it, and the nursing home I help in has yet to return to full capacity after COVID killed so many in it. Our local hospital is back to operating on patients as it did last year.  Earlier in the year when it was full of COVID patients, it had to restrict operations, initially to emergencies only, and then later to life and death operations only.  

We can see what is happening in India where government incompetence has shown what happens when a decisions are made to ignore the need to flatten the curve.  Just like what happened in Brazil.  I just pray that others learn from this.

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