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‘1 – worse than today. 2 – much worse than today. 3 – hard to predict. that’s why we need to take this seriously now.’
That’s how Joshua Sharfstein, a former top FDA official and current Johns Hopkins professor, answered this question during an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit Monday: “Can you describe how you see the world situation: 1 — In one week? 2 — In one month?3 — In one year?”
There were many more questions, of course, as the country, and in this case, the internet, continues to thirst for information in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are just a few of them:
What’s the difference between reported cases and actual cases?
“My answer is we do not have a handle on the total number cases in the U.S. because of the delays in testing. As testing becomes more available, we’ll know more about actual cases of ill individuals. But that’s not everyone who is infected. To know the full number, we’ll need a different kind of test to be used — one that measures evidence of past exposure. These tests are under review by FDA. These tests will identify people who were infected but had no symptoms.”
Would a total shutdown help?
“We’re going to see what happens in Italy and Spain and France. Most likely, it will slow the spread of the virus. Right now, we’re seeing local and state shutdowns of various degrees. In general, we need to educate and inform and inspire efforts at social distancing.”
Should we worry about eating at a restaurant?
“There is some evidence emerging of the potential for ‘fecal-oral’ transmission of the virus, which means it could be passed on by people who don’t wash their hands well after going to the bathroom. For this reason, some people might suggest sticking to cooked food, rather than uncooked food, for ordering out. Also super important that restaurant workers wash their hands. Restaurants should take extra steps and assure their customers. And people ordering should wash their hands well before eating.”
Should we believe numbers like 1.6 million Americans could die?
“So this is a big question. A lot of uncertainty, but yes, those numbers are possible. Another key point is that if we slow down the speed of the infections we’ll be able to maintain high quality clinical care which will reduce the mortality rate.”
The Q&A is ongoing, so stop by here to ask your own.
The number of newly identified COVID-19 cases in the U.S. soared over the weekend, with cities like Los Angeles and New York City and states including Illinois and Ohio moving into near-lockdown mode. There are now 4,110 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., and at least 71 people have died, according to the most recent data from the Johns Hopkins University.
