Dr. Michele Carbone, of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and Department of Pathology, and an international team of colleagues recently wrote an article — a …
Dr. Michele Carbone, of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and Department of Pathology, and an international team of colleagues recently wrote an article — a kind of state-of-the-research summary — for the “Journal of Thoracic Oncology” that provides reliable, easy to understand information about COVID-19 that is both important and not readily ascertainable in the circus atmosphere of our news media. Here are some highlights: First the correct terminology: The name of the novel coronavirus is “SARS-CoV-2,” and it causes a disease called “COVID-19” in approximately 30 percent of the people who are infected. Masks and social distancing help prevent infection, but the only way to be sure that you won’t get the virus is to stay home and not have visitors. It’s that simple. But this would require us to sacrifice our normal living routines, such as spending time with friends and family, going to restaurants and shopping centers, doing our jobs in a social setting with colleagues — the things that define our lives. Is it worth it? How to manage the risk? Infections occur almost exclusively in enclosed environments The virus floats in the air as aerosol. Open the windows and the risk of infection drops drastically, according to Carbone and his colleagues. The more crowded the environment, the higher the risk of infection — for example, the risk is very high in a crowded, air-conditioned bus with closed windows. However, the crowded environment of a modern airplane is comparatively safer, they say — because the air in the cabin is filtered and it is exchanged entirely with outside air every 2 to 3 minutes. Because we congregate inside with closed windows during cold winter months, the risk of infection is higher and more likely then. Unintended consequences We currently are diverting our attention and resources to trying to contain SARS-CoV-2 infections, which in turn is reducing efforts to prevent and treat cancer and other critical diseases. This could cost many lives. Carbone and his colleagues note that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimated that this could be responsible for approximately 10,000 additional colon and breast cancer deaths because early cancer screening for those diseases has largely been suspended.
