2021
Pandemic Journal r i c h a r d p. h o w e , j r .
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t was six months ago—Sunday, March 15, 2020—that Governor Charlie Baker ordered schools, restaurants, and bars to close. Courthouses and much else closed too. Although the COVID-19 virus had been lurking in our consciousness for weeks before that, it was the mandated closings that brought home the seriousness of the disease. Since then, there has been a flood of news about the virus, its consequences, and our collective response to it. Much of the information has changed and is frequently in conflict with other information. I don’t know how we collectively sort it out but that’s an issue for another day. For now, I thought I would share my understanding of some of the major issues related to the pandemic: COVID-19—This is a highly infectious disease that spreads widely and rapidly. It seems there are three primary methods of transmission: 1.
The surest way to catch it is by having someone who has it spray you with droplets from their mouth or nose. These may be propelled by a cough, a sneeze, singing, shouting, talking, or just breathing. 2. The second most likely way to catch it is to be in a room for more than just a few minutes with someone who is sick. In this scenario, the virus in aerosol form saturates the air in the room. By breathing in enough of that air, you ingest enough of the virus to become infected yourself. 3. The third most likely scenario is that virus particles expelled by an infected person land on some object like a doorknob or elevator button that you then touch. The virus is transferred from the object to your finger and eventually from your finger to your mouth or nose and you become infected. Masks—The primary reason you should wear a mask is to keep you from infecting others in case you are the one who is sick. If you cough, the mask catches most of the droplets expelled from your mouth. Same thing if you sneeze. Or shout. I cringe whenever I see someone wearing a mask begin to speak and then rip off the mask so he or she can be heard better. That is exactly the moment when you’re most likely to spread the virus and when it is most important to keep the mask on. The secondary reason for wearing a mask is that it provides some protection to you. A mask might keep out some virus particles that are directed to you but not all of them. Still, as Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said last week, wearing a mask “is the most important, powerful public health tool we have.” 28
The Lowell Review
