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New: Spiraling infections - What to consider- What to do

Kelly Hammargren, R.N.

Tuesday March 31, 2020 - 03:31:00 PM

The Shelter in Place order has been extended to May 3. The peak is still weeks away. Per Mayor Jesse Arreguin's town hall Saturday, Berkeley was only at 19 identified infected persons. We know that will increase.

It is impossible to turn on the television without seeing a story about homemade masks or masks now being made out of sports jersey materials. Nurses, doctors, the entire team need the N95 masks and a full set of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). The homemade masks, masks from sports jerseys do not give the protection that is needed for members of the health care team who are in close contact with COVID-19. A best guess would be that these well-meaning efforts offer little to almost no protection for the working conditions of doctors and nurses, but for your trip to the grocery with social distancing a DIY mask will add some extra protection even if the only effect is to make you conscious of keeping your hands off your face.

Consider this: When a person infected with measles coughs or sneezes, the virus propelled into the air is infectious for up to two hours. Measles carries a fatality rate of 0.2%. The winter flu is 0.1% fatal. The best information available states COVID-19 is airborne for three hours and when those droplets fall from the air or come off the hands of an infected person on plastic and stainless steel the droplets are infectious for days. The true fatality rate of COVID-19 is still unknown given the inconsistency and inadequacy of testing, but it is many times higher than flu and measles.

The elderly are most vulnerable and most people will have a full recovery, but it has been a disservice, if not irresponsible to frame COVID-19 as an infection that the young only need to worry about transmitting to their grandparents. The 17 year old from Lancaster, CA who died last week tested positive for COVID-19. He is still not counted as a COVID-19 death, but notions that young people cannot die from COVID-19 look to need some readjusting.

I’ve heard and seen a variety of behaviors from casually dismissive to obsessively compulsive. A quick drive to observe people waiting in line to buy groceries lays to question how well people really respect the six-foot distancing recommendation.

Back on March 21, I posted on my Facebook page several links on do it yourself masks including making choices on materials and patterns. They are included here along with how to plan your shopping trip and unpack your groceries. Social distancing and washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds are still the most important actions you can take, but, looking at the increasing numbers of infections and complications, wearing DIY masks for essential trips out adds another layer of protection. And don’t forget gloves if you have them.

Here are some practical "how to" tips on grocery shopping from two physicians. Note in the unpacking the physician is in Michigan where they still have plastic, and after the tape was made there was an update on how long the virus lives on cardboard.